Originally Posted By: terrytnewzealand
His idea was that the decisions we make at any moment are almost totally determined by our genes and our upbringing.

I'd hesitate to argue with someone who's probably a geneticist, but I would say 'influenced by' rather than 'determined by'. Education, day to day experiences, and environment must also be taken into account.

Be that as it may, I think that looking at the fundamentals of the question is less speculative, i.e. is free will possible or impossible, according to the known laws of physics? Stephen Hawking appears to suggest that it is. I'm sure, however, that I've read something somewhere to the effect that the basis of his contention has been superseded.

"Time is what prevents everything from happening at once" - John Wheeler