This quarter in biology, we've been learning about biological and environmental determinants of behavior. For example, obesity and drug addiction have biological correlates. People who are obese tend to have fewer active dopamine receptors. Dopamine is released when we eat pleasant tasting food or experience something novel. Since obese people have fewer dopamine receptors, that means they have to eat MORE in order to feel just as satiated as someone who has a greater amount of active dopamine receptors. Of course obese people still "choose" to put the food in their mouth, and thus, most people would argue that this proves they have "freewill" in the matter. But the fact that their neurochemistry is abnormal cannot be overlooked. True, while they still choose to put food in their mouths, the amount of food they eat (leading to obesity) is influenced, from a biological view, by how satiated they feel.
Now we obviously make choices everyday, I do not deny that at all. However, it seems that WHAT we choose to do is always influenced by some external factor(s), such as our biological predispositions, our past experiences, our knowledge, our values, beliefs, etc. Given this, to what extent is our behavior a TRUE and absolute expression of freewill? If the choices we make are always influenced by prior causes which tend to be out of our direct control, how can we really say that we have freewill? Do we FREELY choose what we "will" (or want), or do our genes and environments both play a role in shaping our desires and behavior?
I believe by the ability to go against the grain, (or our genes) our will does remain free... Because yes external factors may play a role but they dont force us to act... We still decide whether not to act upon them...
On that note, Ima go knock this bank off...
and plea "my father was a robber so i aint have a choice" in court....
:thumbsupMG! You're back! Yay! *throws confetti everywhere*
As far as freewill, I would say for the most part that it has a tendency to be a product of societal influences. According to Freud, and his theory of the superego, ego and the id, we are often balancing our desires and needs against social demands. I don't think biology plays a big part, simply because freewill appears to be a product of self-concept rather than hormonal imbalances.
I believe by the ability to go against the grain, (or our genes) our will does remain free... Because yes external factors may play a role but they dont force us to act... We still decide whether not to act upon them...
On that note, Ima go knock this bank off...
and plea "my father was a robber so i aint have a choice" in court....
Well you obviously have a choice as to whether to rob a bank, I'm not denying that at all. I'm just saying your choice to do so (or not to do so) is influenced by prior causes (your father being a robber doesn't necessarily have to influence you to rob a bank, perhaps you saw him rob a bank, and then saw him go to jail, and that experience influenced you to NOT rob banks because you didn't want to end up like him. The reason you didn't want to end up like him is because of OTHER experiences that that make jail undesirable to you. Or, it could turn out just the opposite. You saw him go to jail, but prior experience has influenced you to pay more attention to his display of power at robbing the bank. etc. etc.
We definitely choose to do actions, but I still think prior causes influence our decisions about what course of action we are going to take (e.g. whether to rob a bank or not), and for that reason, our choices cannot be said to be TRULY free. There are external factors everywhere we turn, one external factor may determine whether we act upon another external factor. Behavior doesn't occur in a vacuum.
MG! You're back! Yay! *throws confetti everywhere* 
As far as freewill, I would say for the most part that it has a tendency to be a product of societal influences. According to Freud, and his theory of the superego, ego and the id, we are often balancing our desires and needs against social demands. I don't think biology plays a big part, simply because freewill appears to be a product of self-concept rather than hormonal imbalances.
