Determinism Vs. Free Will - 1341 Words

Determinism is a doctrine suggesting that for every event there exist conditions that could cause no alternative event. Free will is a philosophical term describing a particular sort of capacity of rational agents to choose a course of action from among various alternatives. Understandably, the dichotomy between these two concepts is a topic philosophers have debated over for many years. As a result of these debates, a number of alternative philosophical perspectives arguing for the existence of free will, namely libertarianism and compatibilism, have emerged, existing in stark contrast to determinism. In order to ascertain the extent to which free will is compatible with determinism, one must first consider these different approaches to†¦show more content†¦Their wills, which are believed to be freely gained, are actually the result of a causal chain originating from birth. The fact that humans are governed by their genes and environment means that the ability to make moral decisions as free agents is illusory. For these reasons, the hard determinist position, which is a sound, science-based theory, seems to be incompatible with the concept of free will. Diametrically opposed to hard determinism is a philosophical viewpoint with which free will is closely compatible: libertarianism. Proponents of this position, such as philosopher William James, maintain that humans are all free and therefore, liable for their actions. When making a decision, people â€Å"choose which path to take, and (†¦) are as a result responsible for that choice†. With this in mind, â€Å"the testimony of our direct, lived experience† is what offers â€Å"the most compelling grounds† for this argument; according to James, evidence of free will cannot be found through scientific study. Rather, the existence of free will should be determined by the average person’s â€Å"assumption that personal freedom and responsibility are valid concepts†. In short, the argument that libertarians assert is that free will should be believed in simply because the majority of the population believes in it. The existence of freedom will most likely never be definitively proven orShow MoreRelatedFree Will vs Determinism627 Words   |  3 PagesTed Honderich Determinism Vs Free Will Psychology 101-1322 Professor: James Pattison By: Belinda Bielicki July 2, 2011 Determinism versus Free Will: The most important and the oldest philosophical question is perhaps that of free will and determinism. Do people have free will, or are our actions pre-determined? Ted Honderich defined determinism as the philosophical idea that every event or state of affairs, including every human decision and action, is the inevitable and necessaryRead MoreDeterminism Vs. Free Will1089 Words   |  5 Pages Determinism vs. Free will The belief that all events have causes and if there ever is an equivalent origin, the same outcome will occur is called determinism. Almost meaning that every event is certain and that there really isn’t such thing as â€Å"free will†. We have the debut of free will, it is an unmitigated appearance that simply holds that there is a case about anything that happens in the near future, nevertheless how it comes about. Which leads to the question, do we have free will? OrRead MoreFree Will Vs. Determinism879 Words   |  4 PagesFree Will vs. Determinism What determines and influences human behavior? Humans have been looking the answer for this question during several eras, thus they developed various theories attempting to explain human behavior. Determinism is the belief that one event is the consequence of a previous action, similar to a chain. 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According to Saul McLeod, â€Å"the determinist approach proposesRead MoreFree Will vs. Determinism Essay1716 Words   |  7 Pagesfierce-looking meatloaf, so you decide to go with pizza. So was your decision based off of free will or was this decision predetermined? To fully understand whether your actions resulted from free will or determinism, we must first define each. Determinism is the idea that everything happens due to a cause or a determinant, which is something that can be observed or measured. To put it simply, determinism does not mean that the future can be predicted. Rather, it is a prediction of the possible outcomesRead MoreFree Will Vs. Determinism1349 Words   |  6 Pagesquestions regarding free will and determinism. Free will is a human value that has inspired many individuals throughout history. These concepts of free will and determinism have inspired many poets, spiritualist, philosophers, and activist. There have been numerous philosophers who believe free will is a part of our human nature, and are continually questioning the concept of free will, constantly attempting to understand its true meaning. In contrast to free will, there is determinism, which seems toRead MoreDeterminism Vs. Free Will893 Words   |  4 Pagesthe future is already determined is known in philosophy as determinism.   There are various definitions of determinism available; but in this essay, I shall use the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy definition, which is ‘the metaphysical thesis that the facts of the past, in conjunction with the laws of nature, entail every truth about the future This idea presents a difficult problem for the concept of free will:  how can we make free choices if all our actions are determined by the facts of theRead MoreFree Will vs Determinism Essay1396 Words   |  6 PagesPHIL 110 Essay #2 February 15, 2010 GTF: Emma Jones Free Will vs. Determinism The argument of whether we humans are pre determined to turn out how we are and act the way we do or if we are our own decision makers and have the freedom to choose our paths in life is a long-standing controversy. The ideas of Sartre, Freud, and Darwin are each strong in their own manner, yet Sartre presents the best and most realistic argument as to how we choose our path; we are in control of the things we do and