Here is another great article on the role free-will plays in consciousness: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/s...00&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all
If you had total free will, you'd want to get rid of it: http://groups.msn.com/TheContinuanceofAlanWattsPhilosophy/thedramaofitall.msnw
The universe is brimming with duality. Light as wave and particle... meaning as emergent property... consciousness as strange loop... the self-referential nature of subjective experience... the folly of taking life too seriously vs the serious business of letting go... Man's willingness to tackle these questions is a sign of late blooming philosophical maturity. Or, at least, a hopeful sign of shaking off our puerile adolescence.
Alan Watts on Time: Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTaklXTSDPE Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr3mBf-Uly0 Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAhRrsvdaAw