Do We Really Have Free Will?

In his prize-winning essay On the Freedom of the Will, German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer argued that human beings are not truly free in the way we often imagine ourselves to be. According to him, while we may experience the sensation of making choices, our willing itself—our desires, motives, and inclinations—is determined by a complex interaction between our character and external causes.

“Man can do what he wills, but he cannot will what he wills.”
— Arthur Schopenhauer

To Schopenhauer, we are not the masters of our own house. Our "will" is not a sovereign force but the expression of a deeper, unchangeable character shaped by nature, past experiences, and external stimuli. We may feel free, but in truth, we are acting out what has already been set in motion—like actors playing a role written long before we stepped on stage.

And yet, this is where I respectfully diverge.

I Believe We Can Shape Our Will

We may not choose our biology, our upbringing, or the initial conditions that shape our personality. But I believe that within the unfolding of those circumstances lies a space—a space where self-awareness can be cultivated, and new patterns can take root.

We can reflect.
We can reframe.
We can pause, disrupt, and reimagine the course we’re on.

This hopeful and human-centered perspective is echoed by Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor, who witnessed humanity under the most extreme of conditions. Despite unspeakable suffering, he found that even when everything is taken from a person, one freedom remains: the freedom to choose one’s response.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
— Viktor Frankl

Frankl's insight doesn’t deny that we are shaped by forces beyond our control. Rather, it affirms that within those forces lies potential—for agency, for transformation, and for growth.

The Psychological Lens: Patterns vs Possibility

Modern psychology supports a middle path between determinism and total freedom. While many thoughts, emotions, and impulses arise automatically, our brains are also plastic—capable of change.

Through techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness, individuals learn to:

• Identify habitual responses

• Interrupt automatic thoughts

• Reframe situations

• Develop new coping strategies

This doesn’t mean we are blank slates. But it does mean we are not prisoners of our past. With intentional practice, we can shape how we show up in the present—and over time, reshape the very "character" we thought was fixed.

How This Shows Up in Everyday Life

Even if we don’t have absolute freedom, we have access to something just as powerful: the freedom to expand the space between stimulus and response.

In daily life, this can look like:

• Catching ourselves before reacting in anger
  Recognizing that the heat of the moment isn’t the whole story.

• Reflecting on our values when faced with a hard decision
  Choosing what aligns with our deeper purpose, not just what feels good in the moment.

• Choosing courage instead of avoidance
  Facing the uncomfortable instead of escaping it.

• Practicing emotional regulation when we’re triggered
  Learning to ride the wave instead of being swept away by it.

Each of these choices may seem small—but they are the stitches of a new self. With time, these choices become patterns, and patterns become part of who we are.

The Sacred Space of Becoming

So maybe Schopenhauer was right in one sense: we cannot always control what we will in a given moment.

But what if we can cultivate the kind of person who wills differently?
What if we can transform the very foundation of our impulses—not by force, but by reflection, practice, and care?

That’s the work.
That’s the gift.
That space between who we were and who we are becoming?

That space is sacred. That’s where growth lives.

What Do You Think?

Are we free to choose—or are we just playing out scripts written long ago?
Can self-awareness and intention rewrite the story?

Let’s keep the conversation going.