Free Will: If God Knows Everything, Am I Choosing?

Sürtünme: Asıl kriz bilgi eksikliği değil, relationships konusunda kararsızlık döngüsü.

Friction: What if we are not truly choosing? What if everything is preordained? Your answer to this question shapes your entire life.

Question

In the Islamic world, this question is referred to as "destiny." In Western philosophy, it is "free will vs determinism." In neuroscience, it is the "Libet experiment." Yet the question remains the same:

Am I choosing, or am I living out a predetermined script?

This question is not merely an intellectual curiosity. Its answer determines the foundation of ethical systems, legal frameworks, religious rulings, and personal responsibility. If humanity lacks will:

• There is no such thing as sin — for there is no choice.
• There is no such thing as punishment — for the guilty did not "choose" the crime.
• There is no such thing as faith — for faith is a conscious choice.
• The Quran becomes meaningless — for it addresses beings capable of choice.

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What Does the Quran Say?

The Quran strikes a striking balance on this matter — yet also provides a clear answer for those who read carefully.

The Right of Choice

"Say: The truth is from your Lord. Let whoever wills believe, and let whoever wills disbelieve." — Kahf 18:29

"We have shown him the way; whether he is grateful or ungrateful." — Insan 76:3

"Whoever comes to the right path does so for his own benefit; whoever strays does so to his own detriment." — Isra 17:15

"There is no compulsion in religion." — Baqara 2:256

These verses clearly state that humans are capable of making choices. The word "whoever wills" (shā'e / man shā'e) necessitates the existence of will. It is nonsensical to refer to a non-volitional being as having "will."

God's Knowledge and Power

"To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth." — Baqara 2:284

"Not a leaf falls but He knows it." — An'am 6:59

"Allah leads astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills." — Ibrahim 14:4

"You cannot guide whom you love. But Allah guides whom He wills." — Qasas 28:56

These verses emphasize God's absolute knowledge and power. And thus, the 1200-year struggle of Islamic theology lies between these two groups of verses.

Is There a Contradiction?

At first glance, there seems to be a contradiction: "Let whoever wills believe" but also "Allah leads astray whom He wills." So which is it?

Muhammad Asad's solution is noteworthy: The "leading astray" in the verse means that it occurs as a result of one's own choice. In other words, Allah is not saying, "I will lead you astray" — He is saying, "When you choose the path of deviation, I will leave you on that path" (The Message of the Quran, footnote on Ibrahim 14:4).

This interpretation is consistent with the integrity of the Quran — for the Quran holds humanity accountable.

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The 1200-Year War of Theology

Islamic history has produced three major schools attempting to answer this question:

Mu'tazilites (8th-10th Century)

Thesis: Humans are completely free.

• The creator of human actions is the individual.
• Allah created humans freely and does not intervene.
• "Destiny" is Allah's knowledge — not His intervention. Allah knows what will happen but does not determine it.
• Founded by Wasil ibn Ata and Amr ibn Ubaid.

Strength: It grounds moral responsibility. If humans lack will, the concepts of heaven and hell collapse.

Weakness: Does it limit Allah's power? Saying "Allah does not intervene" approaches deism.

Ash'arites (10th Century+)

Thesis: Humans do not actually choose. Allah creates everything — including human actions.

• Theory of Kasb (acquisition): Allah creates the action, and humans "acquire" it. Thus, the action is Allah's, but the responsibility is human's.
• Founded by Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari.
• The majority of Sunni Islam (especially the Shafi'i and Maliki schools) adopted this view.

Strength: It preserves Allah's absolute power.

Weakness: The concept of "Kasb" is ambiguous. Saying "Allah creates but humans are responsible" is logically contradictory. How can one be responsible for something they did not create?

Maturidis (10th Century+)

Thesis: Humans possess a real will, but this will is granted by Allah.

• Human will is real — but the power of creation belongs to Allah.
• Allah has granted humans the capacity to choose. Humans utilize this capacity.
• Founded by Abu Mansur al-Maturidi.
• The majority of the Hanafi school aligns with this view.

Strength: It preserves both Allah's power and human responsibility. The bridge in between.

Weakness: What does "Allah granted permission" mean? Does granting permission equate to determining?

Table

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Western Philosophy

Determinism

Every event is the inevitable result of preceding events. If we knew the initial conditions of the universe, we could predict everything.

• Laplace's Demon: An intelligence that knows the position and velocity of all particles in the universe could know the past and future perfectly.
• Spinoza: "Humans think they are free because they are aware of their actions but are unaware of their causes."

Compatibilism

Even if determinism is true, free will is possible — because "freedom" is the absence of external coercion.

• David Hume: "Freedom is the ability to do what one wants. The determination of desires does not eliminate freedom."
• Daniel Dennett: "Evolution has given us a 'good enough' free will. Absolute freedom is not necessary."

Existentialism

Humans are condemned to be free.

• Sartre: "Man is the only being who creates himself. His choices define him. There is no escape — even not choosing is a choice."
• Kierkegaard: Choice produces anxiety. This anxiety is the price and proof of freedom.
• Heidegger: Humans are "thrown" (Geworfenheit) — they did not choose their conditions, but they choose their attitude within those conditions.

Stoicism

• Epictetus: "Let go of things outside your control. What is within your control — your thoughts, reactions, choices — belongs to you."
• Marcus Aurelius: "External events do not disturb you. What disturbs you are your judgments about them."

Stoics combine absolute determinism with practical freedom: The universe may be predetermined, but your reaction is still yours.

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Neuroscience

Libet Experiment (1983)

In Benjamin Libet's experiment, brain activity (readiness potential) was detected 350 milliseconds before subjects made a conscious decision.

What does this mean? The brain appears to have already made a decision before "you" do. It implies that conscious will is a illusion.

Counterarguments

• "Veto power": Libet himself stated that even if a person does not initiate an action, they still have the power to stop it. Thus, will may reside not in initiation but in vetoing.
• Daniel Dennett: The readiness potential is not the decision itself. The brain evaluates possibilities — the decision is the outcome of this process.
• Sam Harris is radical: "Free will is an illusion. But this illusion may be necessary for social order."

Quantum Uncertainty

• Roger Penrose: Argues that consciousness may be linked to quantum-level events. If true, determinism collapses — because the quantum world is probabilistic, not certain.
• This remains a speculative theory. However, it indicates that determinism is not absolute.

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What Does Psychology Say? Seven Different Answers

Philosophy and theology discuss will on a theoretical level. But psychology poses a more disturbing question: What truly governs you?

Sigmund Freud — The Unconscious Governs You

According to Freud, humans are not as conscious as they believe. Much of our behavior is governed by the unconscious:

• Repressed childhood traumas
• Unconscious desires and fears
• Imprints left by parental relationships
• Mechanisms of guilt and shame

"You think you made the decision — but in reality, your unconscious did."

Freud does not completely reject will but finds it very limited. A large part of the mind is not under your control. Freud's "iceberg" metaphor illustrates this: consciousness is merely the part of the iceberg above water. The real mass lies beneath.

B. F. Skinner — Behavior is Programmed by the Environment

Skinner is the most radical figure in behaviorist psychology. His formula is simple:

• Reward → increases behavior
• Punishment → decreases behavior

That's it. Humans are sophisticated learning systems. You receive likes → you share again. You earn money → you repeat the same action. You receive criticism → you stop the behavior.

Skinner's interpretation is harsh: There is no such thing as free will. There are only learned behaviors.

Modern social media algorithms are living proof of how right Skinner might be.

Alfred Adler — You Strive to Compensate for Feelings of Inferiority

According to Adler, the most fundamental motivation of humans is to overcome feelings of inadequacy.

In childhood, everyone feels small and powerless. Thus, throughout life:

• We want to be successful
• We want to appear strong
• We want to gain respect
• We want to belong somewhere

Most of our decisions are actually psychological compensation mechanisms.

Adler states: "Humans are free — but often behind their choices lies a feeling of inadequacy formed in childhood."

Carl Jung — The Collective Unconscious

Jung developed a deeper theory, diverging from Freud. He posited that humans are shaped not only by their own past but also by the shared psychological heritage of humanity.

He calls this the collective unconscious. Recurring symbols across all cultures:

• The hero archetype
• The mother figure
• The shadow (dark self)
• The wise old man

According to Jung, humans act not only as individuals but also through psychological patterns inherited from their ancestors. Some of their choices are unconscious reflections of thousands of years of human experience.

Ivan Pavlov — Reflexes and Conditioning

Pavlov's famous experiment: he gives dogs food → they salivate. Then he rings a bell with the food. After a while, even just ringing the bell causes salivation.

The brain learns to respond to stimuli. Much of human behavior consists of learned reflexes.

The advertising industry is the human version of Pavlov's dogs: logo → trust, jingle → desire, color → emotion.

Abraham Maslow — Needs Guide You

Maslow paints a more optimistic picture. According to him, what determines behavior are needs:

1. Physiological needs (food, water, sleep)
2. Safety (shelter, work)
3. Belonging (family, friendship, love)
4. Esteem (status, achievement, recognition)
5. Self-actualization (the peak of potential)

Humans first meet lower-level needs before ascending. You cannot expect philosophical inquiry from a hungry person.

According to Maslow, freedom exists — but needs strongly guide you. True freedom is only possible at the top of the pyramid — at the point of self-actualization.

Eric Kandel — The Mind is Not Separate from Biology

Kandel is one of the Nobel Prize-winning figures in modern neuroscience. According to him:

• Thoughts → electrical activity in the brain
• Decisions → calculations of neural networks
• Emotions → results of chemical processes

Choices are shaped by genetics, neural connections, and neurochemical processes.

Kandel's striking observation: The mind is not separate from biology. If you change the physical structure of the brain — you also change personality, decisions, and "will."

Seven Thinkers, One Table

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The Consistency Test of the Quran

If there is no will, the fundamental structure of the Quran collapses:

1. Responsibility: "No bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another" (An'am 6:164). — Responsibility necessitates choice.

2. Commands and prohibitions: The Quran contains over 600 commands and prohibitions. It is absurd to give commands to beings without will.

3. Day of Judgment: "On that day, everyone will face what they have earned" (Aali Imran 3:25). — "Earning" requires volitional action.

4. "There is no compulsion in religion" (Baqara 2:256): If Allah has already determined everything, this verse becomes meaningless.

5. Warnings to Prophets: "You are only a reminder; you are not a tyrant over them" (Ghashiya 88:21-22). If Allah determines fate, what need is there for a reminder?

Conclusion: The internal consistency of the Quran necessitates the existence of human will. Denying will undermines the Quran's paradigm of responsible individuals.

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The Hidden Dangers of the Destiny Debate

The societal impact of belief in destiny can be destructive:

• Evading responsibility by saying "It is God's decree." A person who does not wear a seatbelt in a traffic accident and says, "If it's my fate, I will die" — shifts responsibility onto God.
• Considering poverty as destiny. "God wanted it this way" — this is to accept injustice.
• Not seeking treatment for illness. "God gives, God takes" — but the Quran commands taking precautions.
• Submitting to political oppression. "This is God's decree" — this legitimizes tyranny.

This is the misuse of belief in destiny. Throughout history, powers have weaponized "destiny" to control the populace.

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What We Learned About Ourselves

While writing this piece, we taught ourselves. We learned that a clear answer to this question has not been provided for 1200 years. The schools of theology have opposed one another. Western philosophy circles around the same triad. Psychology has gone even further: Freud pointed to the unconscious, Skinner to the environment, Pavlov to reflexes, and Kandel to biology.

Everyone is asking the same question from different angles: What governs humanity?

But perhaps that is not the real question. Perhaps the real question is:

How aware are we of what governs us?

For awareness — perhaps — is freedom itself. The moment you realize the unconscious governs you, the unconscious begins to lose its power. The moment you see your conditioning, that conditioning starts to unravel. The moment you recognize your needs, you cease to be their captive.

When we read the Quran holistically, we also noticed this: The Quran does not debate will — it assumes it. It commands humanity, places responsibility upon it, and states that it will hold them accountable. All of this implies the existence of will.

We do not tell anyone, "You have will" or "You do not have will." But we asked ourselves: If everything is preordained — what meaning does it have for us to write this?

Even asking this question — is an act of will.

We are the mirror of the universe. The questioning mind already carries the answer within.

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References

Quran and Theology

• Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Quran
• Yaşar Nuri Öztürk, Islam in the Quran
• Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, The Articles of the Muslims
• Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, The Book of Monotheism
• Qadi Abdul Jabbar (Mu'tazilite), The Comprehensive
• Wael Hallaq, A History of Islamic Legal Theories

Western Philosophy

• Baruch Spinoza, Ethics
• David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
• Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness
• Søren Kierkegaard, The Concept of Anxiety
• Daniel Dennett, Freedom Evolves
• Sam Harris, Free Will

Neuroscience

• Benjamin Libet, Mind Time: The Temporal Factor in Consciousness
• Roger Penrose, The Emperor's New Mind
• Michael Gazzaniga, Who's in Charge?: Free Will and the Science of the Brain

Psychology

• Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams
• B. F. Skinner, Beyond Freedom and Dignity
• Alfred Adler, Understanding Human Nature
• Carl Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious
• Ivan Pavlov, Conditioned Reflexes
• Abraham Maslow, Motivation and Personality
• Eric Kandel, In Search of Memory (Nobel Prize in Physiology, 2000)

Stoicism

• Epictetus, Discourses
• Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Karşı Tez

İtiraz: "Bu tempo içinde buna zaman yok." Cevap: Zaman yokluğu değil, öncelik bulanıklığı var.

Yoğunlaştırılmış Protokol

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