Explaining Volition Without Resorting to Free Will
Can machines have volition? A new essay says yes—if they rewrite their own code.
Deep Dive
A LessWrong essay argues that free will is a fake explanation for choice-making. Instead, volition arises from self-modifying choice functions: systems that update their own decision rules based on outcomes. Humans differ from computers because they bootstrap their own choice functions. This explains the sense of ownership we have over our actions.
Key Points
- Free will is dismissed as a 'fake explanation'—a placeholder that doesn't actually clarify how choices are made.
- Volition is defined as a self-modifying choice function: a system that updates its own decision rules based on outcomes.
- Humans differ from current computers by bootstrapping their choice functions; a PID controller that tunes itself has partial volition but cannot modify its tuning algorithm.
Why It Matters
Reframes AI agency computationally, offering a path to assign responsibility without metaphysical free will.