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This answer maintains that aliens (ie. extra-terrestrial beings) may exist but can't have free will because: -

1.

According to Torah, only man was created with free will, not any creature lower (e.g. animals) or higher (e.g. angels) than him.

Free choice is only possible because G-d gave us the Torah. Without free choice, observing Torah and Mitzvot would be a sham. Therefore, when G-d gave us commandments, he gave with it the ability to truly choose whether to do them or not. It is because of the Torah that we have free choice. Since the Torah was only given to the Jewish people here on earth, we must say that any extra-terrestrial being does not have free will.

It appears that other answers take for granted that this is correct, but it appears to me that there is a problem with these arguments. To address them separately,

  1. It is quite reasonable that the Torah may only be referring to other creatures native to Earth. (The same argument is likely to apply to any other sources that appear to prove this)
  2. Is it not possible that Hashem gave the Torah to aliens too? (or at least an equivalent that makes sense to their situation)?

Am I missing something here or do the arguments that I quoted not actually prove what they are trying to?

Do any respectable sources hold that aliens can have free will?

Moses Supposes
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    Maybe they have free will in a way we can't comprehend? – The GRAPKE Dec 27 '23 at 14:50
  • @TheGRAPKE well it isn't like we fully understand our own free will either, so that seems very likely! – Moses Supposes Dec 27 '23 at 14:51
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    "Free choice is only possible because G-d gave us the Torah. " I think that answer has it backwards. Receiving the Torah, i.e. commandments, only makes sense where there is free-will decisions being made. We were created to have free-will, therefore receiving the Torah makes sense. That answer also mistakenly implies that we did not have free will before the Torah was given. It also mistakenly implies that the nations that did not receive the Torah have no free will. – Deuteronomy Dec 27 '23 at 15:42
  • @Deuteronomy that was my first thought too - that's classic Rambam, but then I checked out the answer and it is based on Lubavitcher Rebbe who makes that point in his discussions on free will. Your point about nations is covered as well. Nobody has free will, except through their connection to Torah, and the nations do have 7 mitzvot – Rabbi Kaii Dec 27 '23 at 15:44
  • @RabbiKaii Thanks, so it pushes who the questions are on further back :) – Deuteronomy Dec 27 '23 at 15:51
  • @Deuteronomy this question is on that answer, and that answer is based on a school of thought that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is a part of, so the answer should come from within that school of thought. Though, the point "kol bidei shamayim chutz miyirat shamayim" is probably the earliest source of the idea that we only have free will for morality (Torah) – Rabbi Kaii Dec 27 '23 at 15:53
  • "that answer is based on a school of thought that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is a part of, so the answer should come from within that school of thought." like I said, this pushes who the question is on further back. "Though, the point "kol bidei shamayim chutz miyirat shamayim" is probably the earliest source of the idea that we only have free will for morality (Torah)" I'm not sure what you are adding here. Please elaborate. – Deuteronomy Dec 27 '23 at 16:04
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    IMHO it is a major leap going from "free will is restricted to matters involving yirath shamayim" to "free will is impossible without the Torah" but okay. Thanks for the input. – Deuteronomy Dec 27 '23 at 16:19
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    This whole discussion reminds me of the one where the Rambam apparently commented, We will understand the prophecies about meshiach after they happen [and until then we are only guessing]. - It's just too far out of our range to say much that is sensible. – MichoelR Dec 27 '23 at 17:09
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    If I could bring another analogy, the gemara in Shabbos says that בעי כינים are permissible to kill on Shabbos because they "don't reproduce". For a thousand years I'm guessing that no one had much to say about that, and if you'd suggest that they did reproduce with eggs that are too small to see, everyone would think there was something wrong with you, you don't trust the sages of the gemara. – MichoelR Dec 27 '23 at 17:13
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  • Once microscopes were invented, the Pachad Yitzchak pointed out that they have eggs - and the whole discussion shifted. Does the halacha change, how to learn the gemara, is this a question of the authority of a Sanhedrin until the next Sanhedrin meets... etc. Since it is a scientific issue, you can't really have a sensible discussion till the facts are in.
    • – MichoelR Dec 27 '23 at 17:14
  • @MosesSupposes So in that case we can't discuss it in terms that are meaningful to ourselves? – The GRAPKE Dec 27 '23 at 19:11
  • @TheGRAPKE I was at least partly joking – Moses Supposes Dec 27 '23 at 21:27
  • I deleted my comment @Deuteronomy but you have neglected to delete yours. Now it just sounds out of place – Rabbi Kaii Dec 28 '23 at 09:06
  • @MosesSupposes I think it's a good thought excercise. – The GRAPKE Dec 28 '23 at 11:38