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But there already lies a response and a course of action that you would have taken. Not to mention, what is to happen was already to predetermined to happen by matters of physics, chance, whatever other factors- even if it isn't evident to you yet.
In the case of prior stimulus/response mechanisms, sure. I don't touch hot stoves, because I know what will happen. In the absence of any prior history, though...what else is there for you to draw from in terms of taking your next step?
However, I don't follow how physics and chance, among other factors will always pre-determine a response. Perhaps they'll influence or determine it some of the time, but, chance being what it is (chance-y), maybe it won't. I'm reluctant to allow that it is always the governing factor, though.
We are using different definitions of free will. I am saying there is no free will even in a situation where there is no macro-precedent to draw from. On a miniscule level, the moving forces in the situation will produce the same result each time, if the instance was repeated a million times. That is my take. It is necessarily true, but only if you agree with the idea that the brain is matter which is bound by known laws of physics.
Hmmm. You know, when Tom Watson was making those runs at the leaderboard in majors from the last few years, I was really happy for him and wanted him to win, particularly in light of his battles with the 'yips'. He and Mac O'Grady were two high-profile cases of what O'Grady called focal dystonia, which manifested in the form of an inability to sink a short (3-foot) putt. Both of these men were pro golfers, among of the finest of their generation, and then one day each just became completely incapable of holing out from short distance: something they'd practiced for years on end and had previously been very proficient at. Watson eventually got his skill back, O'Grady never did (to my recollection).
I think that highlights some of the issues that surround the brain and why I'm reluctant to say that it's strictly governed by the laws of physics - I don't think it functions with the reliability of a switch or circuitboard: memories get lost, buried, distorted. Names come to mind, after the person has passed you by. Sometimes there's a cause, sometimes nothing can be found by the current technology.