Alarm Snoozing: Do we have Free Will (Copy)

Today, I snoozed my alarm. It rang this morning at 8:35—and last night I even told myself that I would get up right away—yet I snoozed it until 9:06. Following my conscious awakening, I then proceeded to feel guilty, having felt that my self-discipline was on the decline, that my decision-making had become prone to instant gratification and whatnot. However, did I truly decide to snooze my alarm, no strings attached, or was it predetermined? Was my exercise of “free will” alleged? Do we even have free will at all?

Firstly, let's clarify that the physical world around us is predetermined. On the concept of reactionism, everything happening around us, from climate change to the pandemic, was caused by past actions and events deriving from the beginning of time. So, if it’s objectively true that the world runs on “cause and effect”, do human decisions act as the “cause” or the “effect”? Therefore, where do human decisions derive, and do we have the free will to decide? 

There are two perspectives on free will and human decisions; one of libertarianism, but also one of hard determinism. Before this however, let us define what free will is. To put it most commonly, free will refers to the capability, as individual agents, to determine our fate and to make choices without the intervention of exterior causes. For instance, choosing to snooze one’s 8am alarm might be considered a demonstration of free will; there was nothing stopping or pressuring one to choose to sleep or awaken.

Now, from a libertarian and even the average person’s perspective, free will seems evident in daily life. There is nothing physically or mentally stopping anyone from choosing what they want. However, what's begged to question: why do we will what we will? In the alarm scenario, why did I want to sleep in? There could be two answers. 1. Perhaps I was simply tired. Then, my choice wasn’t exactly of free will, since it relies on history (on the time I went to bed) to be determined. This exemplifies determinism; that even human decisions are products of predetermined context. But 2. Perhaps I just wanted to snooze. Well, did I choose to want to sleep in? (note, this is different from choosing to sleep in). No, I just wanted to. Moreover, even if I chose to want to, why did I want to want to? This is the main point: we can never choose or grasp our subconscious motives behind our choices. We might have the ‘free will’ to choose what we want, but as Aurther Schopenhauer explains, “We cannot choose why we want what we want”. We simply, “want”. Therefore, since we cannot determine or understand why we want something ourselves, free will is an illusion.

But why does free will feel so prevalent? Why does one feel so in control, when control is all but ours? Most logically, it derives from the illusion that blankets fate; the impression that we had many options, even though the choice was fixed from the start. Going back to my alarm example, it may feel like I could’ve chosen to not snooze the alarm equally as much as I chose to snooze it. In reality, that is simply false, and even if we could go back in time to that decision, I would have still chosen to snooze it; since actions and decisions are bound by cause and effect, under the same circumstances and situation, there was always only one possible outcome. The contemplation in the fleeting moment of decision acts as the illusion, making one believe we had the ability to choose. Perhaps the fateful storyline was that I would ALMOST wake up, but would ultimately decide to snooze the alarm. These everyday illusions trick us into believing the power of free will, though humans are essentially powerless without the predetermined world. 

In conclusion, free will is nothing but an illusion, and every choice is bound by predetermined circumstances. But, if our uncontrollable storylines are simply a straight line from birth to death, what is the point? Why, if our actions are not controlled by us, shall we act morally, or even act at all? Well, if free will was thought of as fake news by everyone, society would crumble. Therefore, I believe the consensus is to simply sit tight, to go along and enjoy the ride.