The phenomenology of my decision-making is that within my process of deliberation I have agency to direct my thoughts more than one way. I assume you would agree that your phenomenology is the same. If not, then we’re having fundamentally different experiences of the world which are likely incapable of seeing eye to eye.
But that assumption granted, here’s how I see the debate: either the phenomenology is an illusion, in which case I merely think I can direct my thoughts more than one way but in actuality I can’t, there is only one way, the way which after the fact I recognize as the way my thoughts actually went; either that or the phenomenology is real.
If illusion, then we have determinism, no agency required, and we are left with the task of explaining how the phenomenology arises and how we are able to see beyond its illusion to the putative reality of determinism. If real, then we have indeterminism.
Tangentially, I think “free will” is something of a misnomer. There is no thought or action entirely “free”, i.e., independent of constraints. After all, walking requires friction but that doesn’t preclude me variously directing my steps. I think “agency” is a more adequate term.
Phenomenological Decisions
The phenomenology of my decision-making is that within my process of deliberation I have agency to direct my thoughts more than one way. I assume you would agree that your phenomenology is the same. If not, then we’re having fundamentally different experiences of the world which are likely incapable of seeing eye to eye.
But that assumption granted, here’s how I see the debate: either the phenomenology is an illusion, in which case I merely think I can direct my thoughts more than one way but in actuality I can’t, there is only one way, the way which after the fact I recognize as the way my thoughts actually went; either that or the phenomenology is real.
If illusion, then we have determinism, no agency required, and we are left with the task of explaining how the phenomenology arises and how we are able to see beyond its illusion to the putative reality of determinism. If real, then we have indeterminism.
Tangentially, I think “free will” is something of a misnomer. There is no thought or action entirely “free”, i.e., independent of constraints. After all, walking requires friction but that doesn’t preclude me variously directing my steps. I think “agency” is a more adequate term.