Free will is complicated. We all have it, and we all want it—as long as it is our own free will we are exercising.  But it is more difficult when someone else is exercising their own free will—against our interests or better judgment.  Whether it is a two year old throwing a tantrum or self-governing nations in armed dispute, it comes down to a battle of wills. Of course we agree to submit to the will of others in many ways, for good reasons.  So the parent must teach and protect the two year old, and in doing so denies the child her will, and properly so.  Likewise, to organize ourselves … [Read more...]