Are We Biochemical Robots?: A Critique of Determinism and Sam Harris' Crusade Against Free Will

The free will debate is an odd affair. Free will advocates have little evidence to offer, and what they have is subjective in nature. Determinists insist all our thoughts and actions are dictated by physical causes – in which case those same mechanical events caused them to believe in determinism.

In short, one side has no proof. And the other side concedes they don’t control anything they believe about the matter. This is a curious standoff. Is it any wonder the question hasn’t been resolved?

Why take aim at determinism? Because it’s a gospel of disempowerment. Our lives are placed in the hands of cosmic forces. We are helpless victims to a causal chain of physical events that began at the birth of the universe. We are utterly powerless.

We have no control over our thoughts or actions. We can’t influence others and can’t affect worldly affairs. We have no control over who we are. Our lives are scripts that were already written before we were born. In short, we are biochemical robots. We blindly obey whatever our causal programming dictates.