Does free will/sapience truly exist?

[ThoughtOfficer]

I suppose I'm looking for counter-arguments/pro-arguments/any opinion at all more then a yes or no answer. Much of Sociology, Evolutionary Biology, Psychology, Neuroscience (and other sciences, I'm sure) suggest that most, if not all, of human thoughts/actions/feelings are based on instinctual things like survival and impressing a mate (actually, I've heard it reduced to only those two things); which to me makes sense. Most cultures seem to have a noticable pattern (many developed a "dragon" for instance), religions all follow the same pattern and to me this suggests that all people will respond to the world similarly, not because it is the most logical thing to do, but because we are as predictable as birds migrating or salmon going to spawn. What do you think? Do you have evidence to suggest otherwise (empirical evidence, preferably)? Also, for those that do subscribe to this notion, how do you deal with it? Does it bother you at all? I believe this idea to be accurate and itdepresses me to no end. I find it hard to function when I know there is little use in expecting spontaneity or logic from people. But if my feelings are decided by instinctual factors, why should my unconscious react this way to this knowledge?jasper.everstar: My question deals less with the idea of fate. But your example does add to my point; most cultures followed a pattern similar to another's. Much like say, a certain prolific animal species will hunt/live a certain way, and an animal of similar species in a different area will still hunt the same, despite a different environment and never interacting with the previously mentioned animal. We may recognize what we're doing (but we are helpless to have "true" sapience), but our actions seem like nothing but instincts made more difficult to recognize by attempts to morally justify it, etc, but the fact remains they are still patterned and unavoidable, like instinct.

[jaspereverstar1033]

Okay, here's what I believe, about fate and free will...I believe that the universe has a goal to which it is headed, and thus it has a fate (i.e. a path that will lead it towards that end goal). I believe, however, that the course that will take us to that end goal is always changing, based on the decisions we make.Here's an example to illustrate this a bit:The western world discovered and started using gunpowder in weapons about 800 years ago (or something like that - I'm not sure on the exact date) but the Chinese had discovered gunpowder long before that. So we can say that it was fate that said that humankind would discover gunpowder, but the decisions that were made in the individual societies around the world resulted in gunpowder weapons being developed at different times.Gunpowder weapons were developed as a survival thing, but it was also a technological development (because before gunpowder weapons, we had bows and arrows). So it wasn't essential that it be developed, but it was inevitable that it would be discovered and put to use. The social structures of the different societies lead to the discovery being made at different times.

[cowboysnoopy]

You make a valid point. It does flow back to the caveman days, when men hunted and women raised the kids and farmed. Which can be traced to the fact that a woman tends to be more vocal than a man. Men having to be quiet so their prey wouldn't be frightened away and woman gossiping while they cook and clean and raise the kids. Things still haven't changed much either. Women complain their husbands don't help out enough around the house and that they hold in their feelings. Men instead of hunting play sports and some do still hunt. When you get dressed in the morning, you make sure you look good, even if you have a significant other, you still like to impress people. When you do break it down, it all leads back to the most basic ability that is sex.