There are so many circumstantial factors which influence our thinking, involuntarily, that they must be considered overwhelming.
I don’t see any reason for that must.
Consider driving. There are so many factors which influence where the car is going—from gravity to roads—and yet, you are driving.
we can surmise that our own personal narrative is more of a post-reaction rationalisation
I don’t think we can. It is possible, of course, for you to take the position that it’s turtles all the way down, that is, that the next moment in time is fully and mechanically determined by the state of the universe at the previous moment, including your brain and your consciousness, but this approach is also not provable or disprovable and doesn’t look to be too useful for anything.
This is subjective experience, not empiricism.
How do you gain any information about the outside world other than through subjective experiences?
we still have to accept that there is a weight of evidence one way or another
Not so. “I don’t know” is a perfectly good answer. Honest, too.
we are far more reactionary, involuntary actors, than not
That’s a different claim. It’s one thing thing for you to say that free will does not exist at all—as you do in the beginning of the comment—and quite another thing to start talking about the degree to which our (free-will) decision-making is influenced by factors we’re not conscious of.
I don’t see any reason for that must.
Consider driving. There are so many factors which influence where the car is going—from gravity to roads—and yet, you are driving.
I don’t think we can. It is possible, of course, for you to take the position that it’s turtles all the way down, that is, that the next moment in time is fully and mechanically determined by the state of the universe at the previous moment, including your brain and your consciousness, but this approach is also not provable or disprovable and doesn’t look to be too useful for anything.
How do you gain any information about the outside world other than through subjective experiences?
Not so. “I don’t know” is a perfectly good answer. Honest, too.
That’s a different claim. It’s one thing thing for you to say that free will does not exist at all—as you do in the beginning of the comment—and quite another thing to start talking about the degree to which our (free-will) decision-making is influenced by factors we’re not conscious of.