Understanding Social Complexity: Individual Free Will

Understanding Social Complexity: XX is two-part of a series of reflections to document my learnings of a core curriculum module I am currently undertaking in university. What has been taught thus far, triggered more questions within as I have to navigate various schools of thought and think about where I stand presently in all of these. My hope is to be transformed in the renewing of my mind as I reflect on the complexities with mindfulness about the Christian standpoint.

The freedom we value is the freedom to have executive control over our desires. However, determinism is everywhere and there isn’t a lot of freedom left after we account for deterministic factors.

Those who subscribe to genetic determinism believe human behaviour is directly controlled by an individual's genes. For instance, you will be smarter if you are born to parents who are smarter. Singapore's late minister mentor LKY subscribes to this viewpoint.

Those who subscribe to environmental determinism believe the cause of human behaviour is influenced by external factors. For instance, you tend to become more aggressive if you have grown up witnessing parents who are violently abusive to each other.

Emotionally speaking, I would love to immediately subscribe to these deterministic viewpoints. God, this is how you have made me to be. You placed me in my current environment and I have no choice... However, on a personal level, it feels like a get out of jail free card since it does not account for personal agency and reduces responsibility. It also lacks hope for a better outcome or possibility for change. 

Gradually, I found myself taking a soft determinism approach. I acknowledge my natural tendencies to be and behave a certain way, with the root stemming from deterministic factors. On the other hand, albeit taking more effort than a normal individual, I can take personal responsibility, making a choice contrary to my natural tendencies.

A parallel biblical text I can think of comes from Romans 7. Paul talks about the predicament we all identify with - For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. My fleshly desires may have been determined by my natural tendency as a sinner. I naturally will to sin. Only Jesus Christ can deliver me from my body of death. By His grace, I can will to do what is right.

Then again, if the only choice I can make is the choice God wants, do I really have freewill? I go back to the very first statement above - the freedom we value is the freedom to have executive control over our desires. I seriously wished I could do whatever I want edwithout constrains because I would truly feel free. Calling a spade a spade, what I am essentially saying is, I want to be the god of my own life.

True freedom may not feel free because it involves a whole lot of dying to myself and what I naturally will to do. However, the result is an abundant life and true freedom to fulfil a sense of purpose that is bigger than what I can conceive. I may not be able to recognise this as good for myself, but He sees it as good. 

The real question I have to ask myself is if I really do trust God is good and has good plans for me. Am I willing to give up insisting self-autonomy over true freedom I can experience in Christ?

This is such a struggle. I think about Jesus who gave up heaven to come to this stinky earth. He did not insist on self-autonomy even though he could, but willed to obey God fully.

To no longer feel the struggle is to give up my adopted definition of freedom. I need to trust that God is good, and what He wills for me to do results in good since He has the best interest for me. Most importantly, in the struggle, grace is ever present.

Please haalp...