Why is this argument about free-will flawed/wrong? [closed]

Question

I would really appreciate some thoughts on my argument/thought experiment. I can’t think of a logical defense of the existence of free will in the context of human action at the scale of the individual.

Base question:
How could a system of order and control (free will) arise from a system of chaos?

Thought experiment:

Consider Universe A
Universe A begins much like ours with the Big Bang, but Universe A contains far less matter. The Big Bang produces 10 particles as space expands. These particles initially have some impact on one another, but this impact decreases as they continue onward and away from each other. How could a system of true order arise from this system? You might say there isn’t enough matter/energy for anything complex enough to form.

Consider Universe B
Universe B is different than Universe A such that it contains enough matter/energy to form complex life. The Big Bang occurs, and every particle has its initial position, velocity, mass, etc. known. If we know each particles starting information we should be able to calculate this information for the next frame, and out into infinity. How then, could free will arise if given the starting information of the universe, we can determine the position of every particle (and therefore more complex information of living creatures with “free will”) at any point in time?

If free will is impossible in universe B, but possible in ours, what are the differences between our universe and universe B?

Please help me tear this idea to shreds; it’s depressing me.

Answer 1

You are over-thinking the question by imagining different universes. Free will implies that each individual can make their own decisions. In one sense it is trivially true that free will exists, since we can all decide what to think and do next. The underlying philosophical question is whether all our decision-making is actually predetermined by the laws of physics that are obeyed by the particles that comprise our brains.

The question cannot be answered until we understand what consciousness is. If consciousness is simply a phenomenon that arises from the movement of the particles that form our brains, then free will is an illusion, since the particles in our brains are simply moving in accordance with the laws of physics and our thoughts arise from those movements accordingly.

For there to be genuine free will, then the nature of consciousness must be such that the conscious mind can be self-directing independently of the laws of physics that govern the behaviour of the the particles that comprise our brains, and can in turn influence that behaviour.

That all said, much of the debate about free will consists of arguments at cross purposes, since people attribute different shades of meaning to the term without realising the fact.