Do animals have free will?

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Hello. It’s always been said to me that what sets humans apart from animals is that humans have souls and free will. So does that mean animals don’t have free will? Who controls them?-
 
PlipPlop said:
Hello. It’s always been said to me that what sets humans apart from animals is that humans have souls and free will. So does that mean animals don’t have free will? Who controls them?-
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The CCC teaches us that animals have mortal souls, unlike humans, who have immortal souls. Sadly, that means that Fido won’t be waiting in heaven. However, we can hope that Fido is. After all, God is God and can do anything. And if you’ve been in a state of grace and enter heaven, it might be on your wishlist. 🙂

To have free will, you have to have sentience that directs it. A dog can choose to do or not do something, but lacks the capacity to explain why.
 
I don’t think God ever takes away anything. Let’s just leave it up to Him to decide what’s going to happen with Fido, and I’m sure it’ll be far more wonderful than anything we could ever imagine or think up ourselves.
 
PlipPlop said:
Hello. It’s always been said to me that what sets humans apart from animals is that humans have souls and free will. So does that mean animals don’t have free will? Who controls them?-
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I think our Good Lord can raise our pets from the dead.

For far too many, their pets are their only friends and can we ever question a loyal dog’s (or cat’s…sometimes, lol) UNCONDITIONAL love?

With God all things are possible…and I hope to be reunited with my animals who gave me so much love here especially those times when I felt like no one loved me.
 
I tell my dog to sit. He knows full well what I want him to do. Sometimes he does it, sometimes not. That’s a choice at least. He usually does it when he knows I have a treat.

Moral free will…choosing right and wrong…I don’t think they have the capacity for that kind of free will.
 
I agree. “Free will” in this context refers to making moral choices.
 
Garyjohn2 said:
I tell my dog to sit. He knows full well what I want him to do. Sometimes he does it, sometimes not. That’s a choice at least. He usually does it when he knows I have a treat.

Moral free will…choosing right and wrong…I don’t think they have the capacity for that kind of free will.
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I think they do. However I think a dogs freewill is limited by their being dogs. I also think that because they do not lead as complicated a life as a human, that their choices are simpler. A dog learns consequences the same way a human learns them. Through experience. What hurts and what doesn’t hurt. What makes them happy and what makes them unhappy. If they get in trouble for getting in to the garbage they are reprimanded or scolded (rebuked) and they eventually learn that this does not make them happy.

Are humans any different?

Just because they cannot articulate speech the way we do, does this mean they cannot communicate with humans? Look at St Francis and St Anthony. And many of the Saints in the Bible.

Whether an animal is capable of committing a sin is a different story. Unless you take the serpent as literal.
 
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