The Theory of Emergent Autonomy: Free Will as an Evolutionary Aspiration

This theory proposes that “free will” is not an inherent property of life, but an aspirational one. Through interactions of complex systems and emergent properties, life has strived to evolve tools for autonomy. The implication is that free will exists, but is fragile, precious, and cannot be taken for granted. Our purpose both individually, and as a society, is now to use these tools to continue growing our capacity for metacognition and agency.

Part 1: What is “Free Will” Anyway?

For part 1, we start by defining terms and summarizing the primary challenges and arguments for this theory. The main points are:

  1. We need to distinguish between “Freedom” “Agency” and “Will”

  2. The last 100 years (give or take) of neurology and psychology have revealed a world of influences and mechanisms influencing our behavior

  3. The “escape hatch” for our own autonomy lies in the interaction between memory and imagination.

The companion article with references and deeper coverage of underlying concepts can be read on Medium here: https://medium.com/@christhebrain/free-will-part-1-the-free-will-debate-sucks-there-is-a-third-option-79ec4ada5bc7?sk=8e60cab76a9df6d01c3467f43a37474e

Part 2: How Our View of Free Will Shapes Society

In this section, we discuss the implications of this debate and why it is important. Most of all, it covers how the typical divisions of “absolute free will” and “complete determinism” both have harmful effects on society and policy. The purpose is to show that only a third option of “some free will” is most productive for our growth as a civilization.

The companion article with references and deeper coverage of underlying concepts can be read on Medium here: https://medium.com/@christhebrain/free-will-part-2-how-our-view-of-free-will-shapes-society-79146940b7f6?sk=e05e693b604ecc55795cf89daaeb89f3

Part 3: The Case Against Determinism

Due to the overwhelming obsession with hard determinism as an “edgy philosophical fad” - I am dedicating a whole section to address the real scientific and ontological problems with an assumption that the Universe is inherently deterministic. The reality is that that the field of “General System and Complexity” reveals a self-organizing nature to the Universe that is neither truly random nor determined.

The companion article with references and deeper coverage of underlying concepts can be read on Medium here: https://medium.com/@christhebrain/free-will-part-3-the-scientific-case-against-determinism-d5dabd501b70?sk=2edd4a0573e6f95d8af4165ccf1d9ca8

Part 4: The Cognitive Architecture of Free Will

In this part, I cover the main mechanisms of free will: simulation and metacognition. This also includes an discussion of the duality of intelligence that we have discovered in the science of heuristics. Heuristics are a necessity of intelligence at scale, yet also what forms the boundaries of our limitations. Only through metacognition do we have ability to escape those limitations.

The companion article with references and deeper coverage of underlying concepts can be read on Medium here: https://medium.com/@christhebrain/free-will-part-4-the-cognitive-architecture-of-emerging-free-will-be5ca39db64d?sk=4281cfc1e32822c031c75e089c36b190