FREE-WILL: A tentative systemic view
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1339 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
It could be said that the systems worldview (or Weltanschauung) clarifies somewhat the conditions in which free will could be discussed.
In systemic terms, free-will seems to be a quite constrained possibility, within at least the following conditions:
- Physiological limits of various kinds, with finally the enormous, but also limited capacity of the human brain to formconcepts andvalues leading to a considerable domain of possible behaviors
- Socio-cultural limits under the guise of submission to socially accepted values and norms whose infringements are severely punished
The possibility of sudden emergence of some innovative way of understanding , leading eventually to an innovative behavior, introduces still other question marks
On the other hand, free-will corresponds to a decision taken by a (supposedly) rational agent , at a specific present moment
This is closely connected to the concept of autonomy in VENDRYES' sense, i.e.“the capacity of a system to select and decide, within limits , its own behavior”.
This is done at any moment by selecting one behavior among many possible ones, that become automatically suppressed by the very act of decision .
See also
Bayesian probability, Choice, Decision making, Emergence, Nucleation