Do Animals Have Free Will?
The concept of “Free Will” is a cornerstone of many religious and non-theistic ethical systems, but is it exclusive to humanity? Do animals exercise Free Will?
Animals and Free Will
Despite being also a rational animal, human beings, of social rules and other types of restrictions, enjoy the privilege of free will.
According to animal researchers, animals may also have free will too, from flies to the most evolved.
Obviously, the idea of ??”free will” needs to be redefined.
The process may be similar among animals, but it is not identified as the same as the human counterpart.
Animals always have a variety of “choices” available to them. Those choices are not necessarily attached or are dependent on the ability to think with abstract concepts but instead with instinctual ones.
These “choices” fit into a complex probability blueprint. Among human beings, choices are seen as conscious decisions. The same is not the truth for animals.
It has long been established through what we call “deterministic behavior” – the idea that an animal will inevitably react with the same response whenever provoked in such a way. In truth is not a complete description of animal behavior.
According to Animal behavior researchers, even the simplest animals are not predictable. However, the absence of determinism does not suggest utterly random behavior either. That is why animal research shows that animal behavior is neither totally restricted nor totally free.
Behavioral Experiments with flies revealed that, although animal behavior (insects included) may be unpredictable, the answers (the real of possible choices) seem to come from a fixed list of options.
Scientists believe that Human “free will” is more than a biological property, but a personality trait. Believe the brain has the freedom to generate behaviors and options and understand choices, scenarios, and perceive different outcomes.
The exact mechanism by which all animals’ brains may produce the specific”freedom of choice” remains a question without a definite and convincing answer.
The researchers have been using mathematical models to simulate brain activity on a computer. They found that what worked best was a combination of deterministic behavior and another behavior known as stochastic (which seems random but actually follows a defined set of probabilities).
This “stochasticity” is shown, for example, in earthquakes. They cannot be predicted precisely, but you can see that they fit perfectly into a mathematical bell curve over time.
As with animal behavior, there is an underlying order and probability of a process that can appear to us to be random or by chance.
Animal behavior experts say that a spectrum of probability is the best description for “Animal Free will.” It is so since we deal with the assumption that animals may not have the same thought pattern process as we do. They have their own Intelligence patterns and sensorial/instinctual responses.
When we think in terms of human beings, we have all the options. Theoretically, using our abstract thinking, all the options have the same probability. But in real life, it is not quite like that.
There are options with extremely rare odds. Sometimes we must choose, through comparison challenging between and unpredictable scenarios.
The researchers also claim that our human brains can create mechanisms that can upset the probabilistic behavior element, depending on the situation at hand.
Many scientists believe that the animal “Free will concept” is the result of evolution. The variability inherent in animal behavior is a prerequisite for survival in nature’s competitive environment.
With this same line of thought, a predator should not always be able to guess its prey’s actions. Still, the actions should not be so random that they may include even more dangerous options than just a predator’s existence.
In the world of neurobiology, the idea has some support. However, more experimental results are needed that correspond to the mathematical models to create substantial and reliable database research.
Still, the debate on free will is much more complicated and convoluted. The current discussion does not address consciousness, its origins, or whether animals share the same stream of consciousness as humans.
As described in this article, free will comes clothed with a general meaning, a necessary prerequisite. Even the broader perspective doesn’t come close to being enough to include and consider complex human elements such as morality, accountability, and responsibility.
The scientists and animal researchers remind us that we would not have the possibility to think about abstract concepts without this essential ability to choose between multiple alternatives. The same line of thought all the other things that come before choices, such as awareness, critical thinking, and education.
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About the Author
Ministry Earth is a collective Awareness-Raising, Perception-Building Initiative from Humanity Healing International, Cathedral of the Soul Educational outreaches created to introduce the perspective of Ethical Consciousness and Nonhuman Personhood to its Animal & Eco Ministries. Ministry Earth is a Service-Oriented Initiative and its Magazine is a Copyrighted Publication of OMTimes Media, Inc. Broadcasting and Publishing House. https://ministryearth.com/
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