Kennon M. Sheldon

Let me return to the title of this post: “Free Will Isn’t Independent of Biology; It's Enabled by It.” I hope you now see what I mean. Yes, it’s always our brain doing the choosing. But we conscious agents are the erstwhile controllers of that brain, in the same way that the computer program controls the computer. Thus, selves have a legitimate (indeed, an indispensable) status in the material universe. We are conscious, language-using beings, with imaginations that can escape the current reality, to simulate possible futures—and to select and work toward the possible future we want. This leads us to the real question: Can we use our free will wisely? The answer, derived from research in personality and positive psychology, is “yes,” but it takes experience, reflection, and maturity to do so. Here’s my belief: If we have an ultimate purpose, this is it. (2022) source Unverified