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Free will (FW) is an evolved human capacity for adaptive decision-making, enabling long-term future planning. This capacity is a basic psychological need, influenced by personal goals and identity.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Evolutionary Psychology

Background:

  • Free will (FW) is conceptualized as an evolved functional capacity in the mature human mind.
  • This capacity offers significant adaptive benefits, including effective response to immediate situations through deliberation.
  • FW also allows for future-oriented thinking, enabling the generation and selection of long-term goals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a creative process model of free will (FW) functioning, termed the goal breakthrough model.
  • To demonstrate the consistency of this model with neuroscientific findings on creativity and choice.
  • To explore the integration of FW within broader human adaptation perspectives.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a compatibilist philosophical definition of free will (FW).
  • Developed the goal breakthrough model to explain the FW capacity.
  • Integrated findings from neuroscience, cognitive science, personality, social psychology, and cultural studies.

Main Results:

  • The goal breakthrough model aligns with neuroscientific research on brain networks for creative cognition and decision-making.
  • Exercising FW is identified as a fundamental psychological need; thwarting autonomy can be detrimental.
  • The FW process is shaped by individual goals and narrative identities, empowering conscious causal influence.

Conclusions:

  • Free will (FW) is an evolved, adaptive capacity crucial for human functioning.
  • The goal breakthrough model provides a neuroscientifically consistent framework for understanding FW.
  • FW is a basic psychological need, influenced by personal identity and goals, and potentially a uniquely human adaptation.