Aphrodite promises that he will possess the most beautiful woman in the world, Athena that he will lead the Trojans to victory over the Greeks, and Hera offers to make him ruler of Europe and Asia." (Searle, 2001.) Because of all the choices Paris seems to have open to him, it seems as though he is able to choose one as a result of of his own free will. However, the world is deterministic, which means that Paris experiences only an illusion of choice. "Paris was a mortal man with neurons like the rest of us. As soon as the acetylcholene reached the axon end plates of his motor neurons, then his arm, with the apple in hand, started to move toward Aphrodite by causal necessity." (Searle, 2001.).
To understand what is taking place in this example, we must understand some simple laws of physics. The concept of free will is incompatible with our understanding of the physical brain. Our brains are dictated by the laws of physics, by the motions and interactions of atoms. Therefore, the brain can not reflect or decide differently other than how the principles of physics direct it at the time. Thomas Hobbes said that, "all things, including thoughts in our minds, consist of the motions of atoms. The motions of atoms must obey the universal laws of physics, in which there seems to be no room for choice or freedom." (Wolff, 1997.) This is because atoms from the exterior of the body hit the many sensory organs of the body which sets up certain vibrations in the nerve cells, which are then carried to the brain. The brain atoms start to dance about in motion, bumping into one another, which would go on to trigger other little motions either toward or away from something external to the body. As long as this process is taking place, we believe that we are free because we can not see the process or the motions taking place. Paris can not see this process taking place, so he believes he had the experience of free will.
