Free Will Essay example - 1168 Words

Free Will I want to argue that there is indeed free will. In order to defend the position that free will means that human beings can cause some of what they do on their own; in other words, what they do is not explainable solely by references to factors that have influenced them. My thesis then, is that human beings are able to cause their own actions and they are therefore responsible for what they do. In a basic sense we are all original actors capable of making moves in the world. We are initiators of our own behavior. The first matter to be noted is that this view is in no way in contradiction to science. Free will is a natural phenomenon, something that emerged in nature with the emergence of human beings, with their†¦show more content†¦Dogs, lizards, fish, cats, frogs, etc.; have no free will and therefore it appears arbitrary to impute it to human beings. Why should we do things that the rest of nature lacks? It would be an impossible aberration. The answer here, is tha t there is enough variety in nature—some things swim, some fly, some just lie there, some breathe, some grow, while others do not; so there is plenty of evidence of plurality of types and kinds of things in nature. Discovering that something has free will could be yet another addition to all the varieties of nature. I am going to give four agruments on why, in my opinion free will exists. The first argument has to deal with determinism. If we are fully determined in what we think, believe and do, then of course the belief that determinism is true is also a result of this determinism. But the same is true for the belief that determinism is false. There is nothing you can do about whatever you believe—you had to believe it. There is no way to take an independent stance and consider the arguments unprejudiced because all various forces making us assimilate the evidence in the world just the way we do. One either turns out to be a determinist or not and in neither c ase can we appraise the issue because we are pre-determined to have a view on that matter one way or another. We will never be able to resolve this debate, since there is no way of truly knowing. InShow MoreRelatedFree Will And Free Choice1122 Words   |  5 Pagesknown permitted the choice, your free will grants you this privilege. Or does it? Free will is a false concept often confused with free choice. Free will does not truly exist, the limitations set by nature and the influence of other people hinder the ability to choose without the impact of past experiences. As Barbara Smoker, a British Humanist activist and freethought advocate stated, â€Å"Free choice means you are not forced by other people or what is outside of you. Free will is the idea that you areRead MoreShould Free Will Be Free?904 Words   |  4 Pagestalking about the idea of â€Å"free will† there are a lot of factors involved. I think it’s difficult to just openly say yes or no to the question of â€Å"Do all humans have free will?†, because there are certain cases on each side where things aren t so black and white. When first thinking about this question, I went back and forth on my answer. It was hard to pick a side. In the end though I came up with this idea. All humans are created as free beings, and they have the free will to do as they chooseRead MoreFree Will And The Door For Free Action1426 Words   |  6 PagesWith a revised interpretation of free will and internalization of weight bestowal, indeterminacy might open the door for free actio n. We will discuss what this paper means by free action and indeterminacy, explore why Sider thinks indeterminacy is incompatible with free action, object Sider’s arguments using Nozick’s proposal of self-subsuming weight bestowal, and investigate possible counter arguments to Nozick’s proposition. The libertarian view requires a free action to be non-random, uncausedRead MoreThe Theory Of Free Will1616 Words   |  7 PagesEssay 3 – Free Will Free will is the ability to choose freely and control our actions. Basically, free will shows the level of responsibility we claim for our actions and decisions. Obviously, if outside forces determine our choices, we cannot be held responsible for our actions. However, if our choices are made with total freedom than certainly we must claim responsibility for our choices and actions. God is justified in creating a world with the existence of free will which philosophers suchRead MoreFree Will and Determinism 1619 Words   |  7 PagesThe problem of free will and determinism is a mystery about what human beings are able to do. The best way to describe it is to think of the alternatives taken into consideration when someone is deciding what to do, as being parts of various â€Å"alternative features† (Van-Inwagen). Robert Kane argues for a new version of libertarianism with an indeterminist element. He believes that deeper freedom is not an illusion. Derk Pereboom takes an agnostic approach about causal determinism and sees himselfRead MoreIn Defense of Free Will1055 Words   |  4 Pages In this paper I will present an argument against free will and then I will defend a response to that argument. Free will is defined as having the ability to make our own choices. Some will argue that all of our decisions have already been dictated by our desires therefore we never actually truly make our own choices. The purpose of this paper is to defend the argument that we have free will by attacking the premise that states we have no control over what we desire. I will defeat this premiseRead More Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - The Paradox of Free Will1318 Words   |  6 PagesA Paradox: Oedipuss Free will in the Play Oedipus Rex William Shakespeare once wrote, Who can control his fate? (Othello, Act v, Sc.2).  A hero and leader must acknowledge above all else his honor, and the pride of his image.   In ancient Greek beliefs, a hero was a man who stood taller than the rest; he was able to better any conflict.   He did this not for himself or for any token award that may be given to him, but for the security of his fellow man.   Physical strength and superior wit areRead MoreThe Relevence of Free Will615 Words   |  3 Pageshuge part in who we are. But we also have free will. -Aidan Quinn Basically this quote is saying how we are raised in the home determines a big factory of how discipline we are however we still must take into consideration that we are still held accountable for our action regardless. Although how we were raised in the home play a major role with the choices we make in our entire lives as an individual. I do believe that morals have a strong factor in free will and determinism. Hom es that teach moralsRead MoreThe View On Free Will1264 Words   |  6 PagesAvalon Singer 29 September 2014 Topic 1: What I Believe is the Correct View on Free Will We are raised to believe that we are the makers of our own destiny. Every decision we make is our own, and we are free citizens in every sense of the word. Although this thought is comforting, I do not consider it to be true. I think that free will is an illusion. The idea of free will is what keeps us sane and motivates us in our lives, but is not what controls our lives. I presume that our world isRead MoreThe Theory Of Free Will950 Words   |  4 PagesAs a concept, free will offers a tremendous opportunity to pursue rationality of purpose. Within this rationality, individuals find wisdom whenever they exercise it appropriately. Both Skinner and Bandura state that free will explore the determinant to the ability of humanity to discover the space around them (Koons, 2002). Over time, philosophers have maintained that free will offers itself as a gift to humanity. It is presumed, therefore, that free will is God’s ordination, and as such, man should