The Evolution of Free Will (Redux)

I was prompted to repost this, originally written in April of last year. Apparently someone needs to read it.

Comments welcome.

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The other day I read that free will is required in order to have a belief. I agree with this. I also feel that free will is not necessary, nor even a factor, in a scientific/mechanistic view of the cosmos. One gathers evidence, bit by bit, refining what begins as a theory until it becomes a fact. Once something is a known fact, there is no free will involved in knowing it – it just is. You have no choice but to agree with it.

Therefore, why do we have free will which enables us to “believe” something – something, say, which in no way advances our species physically nor mentally, providing no new mode of transportation or jump in IQ?

Beavers have no free will and don’t need to believe in anything. They automatically know how to cut trees and build dams. If we were simply animals, we wouldn’t need to believe anything either. Our natural instincts would be enough to enable us to survive and evolve. Yes, there are daily decisions that appear to be free will…but I consider it a trivial consideration as to what you decided to have for breakfast.

So, going to the scientific view…why in our evolution did we develop free will if it is not necessary for survival (and evolution)? And, if it is not necessary for physical or mental survival as shown above…it must be meant for spiritual survival, giving us a mechanism to allow us to “believe”. This assumes you allow for a spiritual component to the human being. I postulate that, like an unseen star bending rays of light, spirit is unseen directly, but evidence for its existence is found by process of elimination and the existence of free will. In other words, what else would we need free will for, except to believe? And why would we need to believe, if not necessary for some type of survival or evolution? And if that spiritual survival is a fact, it of course follows that there is a spiritual component to the human being.

The ironic part is: if the above holds out, the mere fact of the existence of free will and belief is proof that there is something in which to believe.