Are We Just Robots? The Shocking Truth About Free Will

Are we really 'free'? Many people think so. They think all our thoughts and actions are our own choices. Like, you can swipe away a video anytime, right? And this morning, I chose to wear this shirt and eat a meat bun. Those were free choices, right? But even from a young age, we all know everything has a cause and effect. Everything happening right now is just a natural result of the past. So, you might believe we have free will, but also believe the world is controlled by cause and effect. Speaking of breakfast, I ate two meat buns and soy milk. Now, 'liberals' will say those choices weren't the result of the past, just my thoughts. But 'determinism' says those thoughts are not random, they have deep, hidden reasons. Like, the fried dough was too oily, and I think it's unhealthy. The hot dry noodles are too dry, I'd need to drink a lot of water, and I'm just plain lazy. The meat bun shop was right in front of me, but the hot dry noodles were across the street. So, our 'free choices' are just the result of a bunch of mental events working together. That's why 'determinists' say free will is just an illusion! Like the 18th-century philosopher, Paul-Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach, said, everything happening right now is just a result of a never-ending chain of events. Humans and our behavior are just part of the physical world, controlled by physical laws. You think your mind makes free decisions, but your mind is just your brain, and your brain is just biology, and biology is just physics. Today's world is all about 'determinism'. There's no room for free will in this picture. We're all just cogs in a machine, doing what we're destined to do. Oedipus had to kill his father and marry his mother. I had to eat meat buns and soy milk. And you, you had to watch this video, didn't you? You couldn't help it! It was inevitable!