From the “Original Thought” thread:
@Oren “If all experience is unique then by definition all thought is original.”
Exactly!
If the fuel for your decision-making process is a response to your unique mix of learning and perceptions you may be using what some would consider a mechanistic process but it is a truly personal decision that is yours alone.
Yes, some parts of the process are hidden to you but that is no more important than the fact that your nerves that conduct your sensations are a hidden process. Your perception feeds your decision making process and you become aware of what was decided shortly after the decision is made. The bit about the actual decider not being part of the consciousness does not make this process any less a part of your brain processes. These decisions may drive your attention to acquire more information to make more decisions; it is a closed loop. The bit that does the actual deciding is part of this ongoing process.
Your reactions are just that; reactions. That is what the word “decision” implies - an input/output process; you perceive and combine your perceptions with your internal values to select some action. It would be bizarre to claim that “free will” requires that you randomly select some action with total disregard to what is going on around you.
The fact that you acquired the experience to form these internal values to make these decisions does not mean that you have some sort of “original sin” that means you are not the agent making the decisions. You have to acquire the value system to make these decisions. Do I wave my hand to turn on the water or move that lever? Do I walk over to the doorway and move that lever or do I say “Alexa lights on?” Or do I have to pull out my kit of flint, steel, and tinder? These decisions are not universal through all time and space - they must be acquired from experience in your environment.
Any meaningful definition of “free will” must admit a process that involves interaction with the environment.