Свобода воли как способность выбора, стимул эволюции и фактор истории

Диалог со временем. 2026. № 95. С. 5–21.

Kocherov S.

The article presents arguments in defense of free will. It criticizes the approach based on the concept of physicalism, from the position of which rigid incompatibilists reduce human consciousness to the activity of brain neurons, and processes at all levels of being to physical laws. Although physical laws and unconscious brain activity condition human decisions and actions, they do not predetermine his choice as alternative in every situation. It is explained why free will is possible with respect to the factors that determine human behavior, namely, the causes that influence them and the desires that arise in them. It is shown that the source of will is not this or that area of the cerebral cortex, but the “I”, expressing the spiritual integrity of man, and embodied in his personality as the true subject of free will. It is the personality, based on his or her inherent beliefs and values, who chooses between the external causes acting on him or her and determines the desires that are most meaningful to him or her. It is argued that skeptics of free will are unable to explain the dynamic evolution of humanity and the original, creative decisions of individuals that determine the accelerating progress of history. The importance for history of free will as a driving force forcing people to make independent decisions and perform actions even against the influence of the social environment is asserted. The moral and legal consequences for the individual and society resulting from the denial of people's free will are considered and evaluated.

Keywords: свобода выбора, эволюция, детерминизм, ответственность, творческие решения, responsibility, determinism, freedom of choice, личность в истории, hard incompatibilism, жесткий инкомпатибилизм, personality in history, evolution, creative solutions