The Unconscious Free Will

Free Will is an oft repeated theme in this blog.  The Free Will that has been referred to so far has been a conscious choice, meaning that when man is given a choice between good and evil [1], he has the freedom to arrive at a decision that is known fully to him.

The concept of the unconscious choice came to mind in the last few days and I am writing about it as it is taking shape.

First I wanted to know if unconsciousness exists, and I found support that it does.  "Unconscious processes are smart and adaptive throughout the living world, as Dawkins (1976) contended, and the psychological research evidence that has emerged since the time of his writing has confirmed that this principle extends to humans as well. In nature, the ‘‘unconscious mind’’ is the rule, not the exception." [2]

The question then is whether Free Will operated in the unconscious mind.  Without doing any research, let me just postulate that it does.  Free Will is part of God's perfection and it exists together with God.  Free Will is a gift from God and it is pervasive. [3]  It was given to angels before even Adam was created.  Having Free Will, Lucifer was able to disobey God and became Satan; similarly, Adam and Eve took advantage of it, ate the forbidden Apple and their Sin became the seed of all our sins.

While Lucifer, Adam and Eve had exercised their Free Will knowingly at those specific instances, man also exercises his Free Will with all his cognitive faculties intact under a variety of circumstances on a daily basis, but when man sometimes acts without having sufficient time to deliberate or by finding it unnecessary to deliberate [4] and at those times, man necessarily relies on his unconscious mind that propels him to act or not act.  Whether to act or not, or the nature of the act if action is chosen, all stems from Free Will.  Therefore, Free Will operates in the unconscious mind.

My conclusion, if true, has ramifications.  For instance, if those who live a life full of kindness and humility but are not consciously part of any organized religion, or a religion that is not Christian or Catholic, then under my theory, they would still be following the path of Jesus in their unconscious minds.  In their unconsciousness, their words of kindness become their prayers and their acts of humility are their expression of their love for neighbors. [5]  Conversely, those who are consciously and outwardly living a life of poverty, humility and charity but are not poor, humble or charitable with their time or their love, they have in their unconsciousness chosen freely to be under the influence of Satan to one extent or another. [6]




[1] Every moment we are confronted with such a choice.
[2] Quoted from the last paragraph of the conclusion of the Yale University report at:  http://www.yale.edu/acmelab/articles/Bargh_Morsella_Unconscious_Mind.pdf, accessed December 8, 2013.
[3] I have no proof but I believe all living things have Free Will perhaps with the exception of vegetation.
[4] The decision not to deliberate is a cognitive one.  An action that takes place without deliberation is, in my opinion, one that comes from the unconscious mind.
[5] I still like to think that I am Catholic even though in my opinion many of the Catholic churches are becoming more and more secularized and those who run them are succumbing to the inexorable influence of Satan with their hypocrisies.
[6] I would like to believe that those who have chosen to live contemplatively in Christ are living in poverty, humility and charity because they have no attachment to material things, act humbly in the service of others and are generous with their talents, time and love.