Consciousness, Free Will and Pre-determinism

The Topic:

An in-depth conversation on consciousness, free will and pre-determinism.

Science Good, basic video:: Link to Reading
Consciousness: Less dense article that gets at the same topic as the “Conscious Intention to act” pdf: Link to Reading
Religion: Free Will: Summa Theologica – Thomas Aquinas Pgs 555-559; Of Free Will (Four Articles): Link to Reading
Predeterminism Institutes of the Christian Religion – John Calvin: Link to Reading
Time of Conscious Intent to Act in Relation to Onset of Cerebral Activity Seminal article on the topic of conscious action Series of articles from different professions (links to each article on right side):: Link to Reading

What is Free Will? A Soul? God?
With regards to life, where do we draw the limit as to what life forms possess free will?
Do you believe in some higher being or ultimate structure to the universe?
If so what element of control did it have in bringing about life and does it have in determining what the future will be?
If not, how do you account for the complex structure of a universe that ultimately exists in such a specific way as to support the formation of life?
Can we change who we are or we are destined to be based on what science dictates?
Is the underlying rigidity and law-based nature of the universe compatible with freely operating forms of life capable of making decisions independent of what the laws of the system (chemical reactions, etc.) dictate?
What does it mean to be conscious? Are consciousness and free will intertwined?
Are science and religion fundamentally incompatible or possibly reconcilable?
If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?

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Added by Michael Lenox, February 2017.