CHAPTER FIFTEEN
FREE WILL
Free
will is the fountain of life. A scientist does not usually acknowledge a
dividing line between life and death, and physically, he is right. But life is
much greater than physics. In fact, its magnitude is much higher than the
combined stature of all sciences put together because their very purpose is to
bring about life, sustain it and improve it.
Free Will and Ego
Life begins with the emergence of
free will. A stone is a stone because it does not have free will but a cell such
as an amoeba is alive because it has the will to move about. Yet they both are
made of atoms. Obviously, free will lies dormant in atoms and increases in
intensity as the ladder of evolution extends higher. At subhuman stage, it is
passive but at human level, it becomes active and pines to take over the conduct
of one's ego or self. Its emergence is the greatest wonder because it nearly
eliminates dominance of the physical law as applicable to human life and enables
man to conduct his affairs as he pleases. This point is better understood if we
realise that the human body is governed by exactly the same laws of physics and
chemistry as all other bodies. For example, my walk is activated by what is
called the law of reactions, that is, actions and reactions are equal and
opposite. Unless my body observes this law my legs cannot move but this law does
not tell my legs where to go. Obviously, something has emerged inside me, and
this something is not only over and above the confines of physics and chemistry
but also their goal. This something is free will, my own power of choosing which
decides whether my legs should carry me to a temple or tavern, a rose-garden or
a race-course.
Free will bestows upon me the
freedom of choice. Thus I am at liberty to indulge in vice or virtue and become
a deuce or dens. It means freedom is the goal of life and man has the right to
demand the break-down of all those barriers which restrict his freedom of choice
and freedom of action, bearing in mind that everyone is entitled to freedom and
therefore, one's own free will must not become a source of denying freedom to
the fellow-beings.
Free will and individuality
Extension of the evoluntionary
ladder from particles to man clearly shows that the cosmos is marching towards
freedom. In fact, it is an attempt to arouse the dormancy of atoms to the state
of consciousness for creating free will. Again, free will is imperceptibly
interwoven with individuality, which comes into being
as a result of the evolution of
particles which are all exactly the same, and thus initially lack individuality.
Therefore, the purpose of evolution is to create individuality which implies the
innate right to maintain one's identity. But this is possible only if one is
independent enough to choose one's way of life. Thus free will and individuality
become one and the same thing.
Determinism
Polarity is the operational law of
the universe but polarity does not mean Opposition for the sake of opposition.
It is a natural mode of keeping things in balance by tension which creates unity
and not disunity. This point is well-explained by the fact that similar electric
charges repel but the opposite charges attract. Thus polarity is based on
complementerity which is the cause of unity in diversity, and by no means a
symbol of basic duality. Like everything else, free will also has an opposite
pole called determinism which is complementerity and not dualistic in nature
though unfortunately, it has been depicted as such through a never-ending debate
that has taken place over centuries. As a result, supporters of one view deny
existence of the other: either it is all determinism or all free will.
Chance
Modern scholarship supports free
will, and as a result the universe is considered a child of chance changing
churlishly without any purpose. They deny any cosmic purpose because that what
has a purpose has been ordained, and is thus created and not evolved. To make
matter worse, some of them claim that the cosmos is a machine and not an
organism.
Purpose of universe
I have already argued that every
principle has a purpose. Therefore, the universe which is the manifestation of
the Creative Principle has inevitably a purpose which is attainment of Godhead,
that is, existence at the highest possible point through a process of
self-improvement.
Dominance of free will over
determinism
This purpose is an integral part of
atoms (particles), and exists as the potential to be. It is due to this fact
that matter cannot be formless, and irrespective of what form it takes, becomes
associated with a purpose. Yet that purpose cannot be always defined precisely.
This fact is compatible with the law of mystery or uncertainty because every
action and object comes to possess a side or subordinate purpose in addition to
the principle one, thus diluting the force of determinism with a view to
increasing the role of free will which decides the priority, and even the
meaning of a purpose. Even when a purpose is quite clear, the method of
achieving it is not determined but based on trial and error. In fact, this view
reduces the stature of determinism considerably in real life because one does
not have to accept the existence of a particular purpose or act upon it.
Anatomy of chance
The purpose is dormant in atoms as
imagination is in brain, butter in milk or fragrance in rose. Chance is the only
factor that has no purpose, and, therefore, it cannot be the sole agent of
evolution. There are several reasons for it. Firstly, a chance may or may not
happen but evolution is a fact: no river can ever flow without a definite
source; secondly, a chance can be constructive or destructive and thus the work
of a constructive chance can be wiped off by a destructive one. This universe
requires trillions and trillions of consecutive constructive chances to evolve
the universe. This type of happening is wishful thinking which is against the
law of probabilities. When trillions of similar chances take place in an
unbroken sequence, they cease to be a series of chances and become a definite
mechanism based on deliberation, planning and engineering. A chance, by
definition, lacks all these elements. It does not mean that chance plays no part
in evolution at all; it does have a role but it is secondary. In the beginning,
chance must have played a major role when the Creative Principle was not
sufficiently evolved but as change created interrelationships, their mutual
tendency to retain their identity, led to the evolution of laws which help
preserve organisation through systematization thus reducing the role of chance
which is likely to be haphazard. We should also realise that a chance can't take
place in a void. A chance meeting takes place between two (or more) already
existing people.
The Creative Principle itself is
evolutionary because it develops through constant change which systematizes
itself over a period of time through trial and error. Thus evolution is based on
a gradually evolving principle of determinism. In fact, free will makes no sense
without determinism because existence is another description of determinism. For
example, my existence is predetermined. I could have been a mouse or a monkey
but I have been determined as a man, and there is nothing that I can do about
it. Again, I have no control over my parentage, country of birth, colour and so
on.
All these factors play a
considerable role in my life.
Relationship between determinism
and free will
What is then the relationship of
determinism with free will? A look at your genetic pool may explain the issue.
You inherit your genes from your parents. They determine not only your potential
to be but also endow upon you the capacity to break away from the constraints of
the DNA through individual choice such as learning and also enable you to
improve yourself by securing a better adjustment with the environment. Again, it
is determined that every action must have a reaction but you can, not only
choose the stimulus but also the method of reacting to it; you can forgive or
retaliate. The incidence of determinism is subject to a very vast variance,
indeed: it is only a bird which can fly, and man can't but he can make up this
deficiency through an aircraft and also considerably improve upon the technique
and quality of flying.
In fact, the existence of
determinism and free will is reciprocal. Something has got to exist before it
can exercise options. Existence refers to determinism and exercise of options
alludes to free will. For example, entity of man is determined, and it is this
determined molecular structure (man) that exercises free will. One can say:
"No predestination (determinism) no free will" but the more relevant
conclusion is that determinism leads to free will.
Since the identity of everything is
determined by the underlying principle, it becomes the fountain of determinism,
on the one hand, and of free will, on the other, because when something is
determined i.e. comes into being, it acquires a purpose. Thus joy of existence
depends not only upon the realisation of that purpose but also the manner of
achieving it. It requires free will to give the actor a fair choice between the
alternatives and the manners of performance. Therefore, the purpose of life is
better served by maximising the scope of choice to enable man to exercise his
options in a more dignified manner.
Wrong attitude towards
determinism
Determinism is usually blamed for
one's misery and helplessness.
This is a wrong attitude towards
life because it is a matter of common observation that we use determinism as the
object of free will or personal choice. How? We decide what we want to become
i.e. doctors, engineers, lawyers, farmers or factory workers. Thus we choose to
determine the course of our lives. Those who fail to exercise such options, have
only themselves to blame because the choice is there if they want it.
I have used the word
"uncertainty" as a near-certainty denoting a statistical value of
accuracy. Perfect certainty neither exists nor is it desirable because it will
contradict the law of mystery which makes life a great phenomenon. Thus
determinism can't be an absolutely rigid concept which is imposed from without.
It is more like dynamic equilibrium which is maintained through wisdom and
constant effort; formation of atoms is yet another example of determinism.
Without constant effort of the electrical forces, an atom could not determine
itself.
There are people who believe that
God has determined everything and chalked out its conduct beforehand. If this be
true, then God's own conduct in relation to everything is also preset and thus
He lacks freedom of movement and cannot govern such a vast universe which needs
a lot of flexibility in handling it. Above all, God ceases to be All-powerful
and His wisdom and discretion becomes a myth for lack of use.
Beneficence of determinism
Determinism has a great beneficial
value to mankind because greater determinism brings about a higher purpose which
imparts a superior force to free will, raising its quality and effectiveness
correspondingly to achieve purpose of the determinism. Therefore, one can
express it as a rule that greater determinism is followed by a higher free will.
For example, if a Marxist state determines that people should have a higher
standard of living, it will have to widen the economic choice by filling shops
with all sorts of consumer goods at affordable prices. If it rations even the
bare necessities of life, then it has resorted to falsehood. Unless determinism
has a moral purpose i.e. a purpose beneficial to mankind and enhances free will,
that is, it creates abundant opportunities for widening choice, it is not a
natural form of determinism but a device to deceive and deride people to appease
and please its deviser. An example of this fact is provided by the recent
collapse of marxism in the eastern European countries.
A marxist state practices
deterministic philosophy to determine the goal of life and ways of achieving it.
Free will is abolished by disallowing individual choices on the pretext of
common good. Moral conduct is superceded by the rule of law which represents the
will of rulers who enjoy despotism in the guise of public care. Everything is
done in the name of people. For example, land is called public property and
courts are named people's courts whereas, in fact, nobody owns anything at all.
Everything - land, houses, factories and even people themselves become property
of the state. Even the people's courts are there to nail the ordinary folks to
the will of the state. And what is state? It is just a euphemism for the men in
power who love to perpetuate their authority but under the most endearing
varnish of hypocrisy.
This is abuse of determinism
because it does not lead to enlarging free will i.e. widening of choices. The
greater the choice the higher the chances to achieve the legitimate goals of
life in a desirable manner. Plentitude of choices leads to moral ascendancy but
their paucity weaves a web of crockery around most individuals causing their
fountain of righteousness to dry up and thus destroying their chances of
eternity.
Free will and eternity
Eternity is the everlasting state
of freedom from fear, and want of favour. The element of freedom is
all-important in determining the value of a deed which serves as a criterion for
eternity or extinction. It is only the action based on free will that has a
spiritual value; a forced deed has none. Therefore, the distinction between vice
and virtue is what promotes or demotes free will. This is the most significant
point because virtue leads to eternity but vice goads to extinction.
What is the way to eternity?
In fact, I have already answered
this question. However, in view of its importance, I repeat that as free will
and individuality are one and the same thing, eternity is attainable through the
development of individuality but development has to be righteous, and the
righteous development is the one which seeks to guard one's own legitimate
interests as well as those of one's fellow-beings. One must do so consciously as
a moral duty and not as an ostentation. Hence sincerity is the key which opens
the gateway to eternity.
One should always bear in mind that
the development of individuality does not mean selfish care but care of one's
self in relation to others so that one's attitudes and deeds being beneficial to
one's self also benefit other members of the society, and such attitudes and
deeds must be based on one's free will and not forced upon one, nor should they
result from convenience. This is the minimum requirement for eternity. When a
person develops the capacity to live for his fellow-beings out of pure love, and
he actually does so, he has already acquired the godly status; death simply
means the divine confirmation of this fact.
Significance of individual
development in relation to Community, is the key to eternity. It calls for the
structuring of a righteous society which is free from the fear of injustice,
hunger, disease and ignorance. However, just freedom from fear is not good
enough: it must also abound in moral favours such as love, care and friendship.
The plan
It needs an enormous number of
subjects for consideration to evolve such a society but because of the
restricted space, I can include only the following topics for discussion:
1. Ethics (vice and virtue)
2. Psychology (individuality)
3. Sociology (society)
4. Law (and morality)
5. Politics (state)
6. Taxation
7. Economics, and
8. Mysticism
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