Reason Refutes Determinism

Do I have free will [1]?  The question is of vast importance and the answer affects practically everything about my life.  For instance, if I do not have free will, the credibility and veracity of almost my entire worldview is at stake--if something or someone else is controlling my thoughts, then I am not actively reasoning and thus I cannot know if basically every belief I have is true or sound.  Free will is the ability to make decisions on my own, not manipulated by something else.

The belief that all of my actions are determined by some external agent(s) or event(s) is called determinism.  There are several varieties of determinism--theological determinism in the form of some variants of Calvinism, naturalistic determinism, partial determinism, etc.  Any Biblically-educated Christian knows that Christian theology does not at all teach a determinism that denies or minimizes human free will!  While people may not be able to fully comprehend in the present life how things like God's foreknowledge interact with human free will, it is objectively Scripturally true that the Bible teaches that humans make legitimate moral choices.

If determinism of any sort is true, theological or naturalistic, I exist but have no legitimate control over whatever set of actions is determined for me by the thing determining them.  As I stated already, this would possibly include beliefs themselves.  I am simply reacting in a manner in which it would be impossible for me not to.  So, can I know if this is the case or not, at least to some extent?  Total determinism does indeed have a grave logical and philosophical flaw!

I have constructed a syllogism to expose this flaw:


1. If I am just reacting, then I cannot reason.
2. I can reason.
3. Therefore I am not just reacting.


The form of this syllogism is as follows:


1. If X is true, then Y is not true.
2. Y is true.
3. Therefore X is not true.


Thus, since I can reason, I know that I am not merely reacting and thus I do indeed have some degree of free will.  The conclusion follows from the premises, and I know premise (2) by constant immediate experience.  There is no way I can be wrong about this.

There are other significant things to address regarding this issue: 1) how even if determinism were true (and at least total determinism is not as I have proven) I could have no basis for knowing or soundly believing it is true (because I would be unable to reason) and 2) how theological determinism contradicts Biblical teachings on moral accountability and justice.  But I will save these specific topics for another time.  Fortunately, the question "Do I have free will?" can be easily answered, at least in part.  Reason can rescue us from skepticism in this area.  I have more than just the strong perception that I have free will--my ability to reason itself renders total determinism impossible, for it by necessity excludes the possibility that I am just reacting with no control whatsoever over my thoughts and beliefs.


[1].  I can prove to myself that I have free will.  This alone does not prove that other people do, but it certainly seems to me as if they do.  However, any rational, conscious being that reasons, including all beings metaphysically similar to me--humans (but also including spiritual minds like angels)--has free will.