Free will isn’t about magic or causality. Framing it like that just shows you misunderstand the concept of free will.
We’re bound by circumstances and possibility, yes. That doesn’t contradict free will, because free will is about self-determination: being able to choose a course of action from among the possibilities, rather than being compelled one way or the other by some extrinsic force such as fate.
For example, say you go to a restaurant. They give you the menu. You get to choose anything on the menu, and maybe even make a special request, and no one is compelling you to choose one thing or another.
They might say “No, we can’t do that” when you ask if they can substitute hush puppies for a side. That’s not a contravention of your free will, they might just not have hush puppies.
Just because the menu doesn’t include everything in the universe doesn’t mean you don’t have free will when choosing an option.
Also, free will doesn’t contradict god being omniscient or omnipotent. I don’t know why you keep implying that it does, but you haven’t presented any rationale for why we should suppose that.
This doesn’t mean I believe in a god, by the way. I’m just telling you that your logic about free will and omnipotence doesn’t add up.
Free will isn’t about magic or causality. Framing it like that just shows you misunderstand the concept of free will.
We’re bound by circumstances and possibility, yes. That doesn’t contradict free will, because free will is about self-determination: being able to choose a course of action from among the possibilities, rather than being compelled one way or the other by some extrinsic force such as fate.
For example, say you go to a restaurant. They give you the menu. You get to choose anything on the menu, and maybe even make a special request, and no one is compelling you to choose one thing or another.
They might say “No, we can’t do that” when you ask if they can substitute hush puppies for a side. That’s not a contravention of your free will, they might just not have hush puppies.
Just because the menu doesn’t include everything in the universe doesn’t mean you don’t have free will when choosing an option.
Also, free will doesn’t contradict god being omniscient or omnipotent. I don’t know why you keep implying that it does, but you haven’t presented any rationale for why we should suppose that.
This doesn’t mean I believe in a god, by the way. I’m just telling you that your logic about free will and omnipotence doesn’t add up.