Do we have free will?

Or do we have freedom to choose?

The human mind is an individual's personal system of desires, fears and priorities.

Desire = Wanting a person/thing/event.
[NOTE: Evidence of a desire = Approach Behavior.]

Fear = Not-wanting a person/thing/event.
[NOTE: Evidence of a fear = Avoidance Behavior.]

Desires and fears are interrelated by being opposites. The opposite of the desire to live is the fear of dying (or of being dead).

Priority = The importance of each desire/fear compared to all other desires/fears.

The concept of free will may be misleading.

If we are comprised of atoms/molecules/etc. which have limitations we might not have free will but instead have predetermination. If we are predetermined, we become predictable. If you know my desires/fears/priorities, my current state of mind/body, and my environmental and mental options/choices/alternatives, then you might stand an excellent chance of predicting what I will do in the next few minutes.

What might be a better phrase to use/consider than free will is freedom to make a choice/freedom to choose.

If we have our limitations we may not have free will but nevertheless could have freedom to choose.

That freedom to choose means not having someone/something else dictate what my choices should be/have to be/must be/ought to be/etc.

If I have the following food priorities -

1. New England Style Fried Clams—fried in the stuff that will kill you, not the vegetable oil that kills the taste.
2. Lobster.
3. Steak.
4. Cheeseburgers.

— and I am hungry, then I may not have the free will I think I have when I choose fried clams, but what IS important is that I have the freedom to make the choice/freedom to chose and can therefore choose the fried clams.

The essence herein is the establishment of priorities. Once I have priorities I am limited in what I will choose. Priorities determine decisions. I cannot make decisions unless either I have priorities or I can find priorities among the choices I may have for alternative solutions to a problem. Once I have/find priorities among alternative solutions, I can make decisions, but the decisions are somewhat predetermined by the priorities. Who among us would intentionally choose a lesser priority alternative solution to a problem?

To a great extent, at least, we are our desires/fears/priorities, and once we have established our desires/fears/priorities, we become predictable, as if we have less free will, but, even with less free will we could still have the freedom to choose.

Regards,
Bob K.