Do We Have a Free Will? Essay example

Many people in the western world hold very dear the idea of independence, that they can think freely, choose freely, and express themselves freely. This all is connected to the idea of free will that many believe is what makes us human. Many people cannot, however, define free will. There is always the feeling that one can do whatever he/she wants. That is probably why this idea is such a pleasing concept. There is just one serious flaw in the free will concept. People cannot determine everything; there are some things, even before one is born, that determines who he will be in the future. Since people do not choose their parents, or the nationality of their family this creates a serious flaw in the free will concept. Now if people were

Hard Determinism argues that every event is causally determined. For an event ‘A’ to occur casually means that there are antecedent causes that ensure the occurrence of ‘A’ in accordance with impersonal, mechanical causal laws. To clarify hard determinism further, let me present hard determinism as an argument. Basically hard determinism argues that: (a) Determinism is true (b) Determinism is incompatible with free will (Holbach, 451). In defense of premise (a), the hard determinist says that obviously everything is caused, therefore determinism is true. To prove that determinism is false, the opponent would have to come up with an example of an uncaused event. To defend premise (b), the hard determinist

First we will break down the definition of free will, second, how moral responsibility and free will accompany one another throughout human life, and lastly why free will is important in one’s life.

Imagine if you are having an internal battle about whether or not you will smoke a cigarette tomorrow. To solve this conflict, all you have to do is choose what you would rather do. However, assume that your decision has actually already been determined for you. It has been decided for you due to events that occurred in the past. Therefore, you have no control over whether or not you will smoke tomorrow. Many people throughout history have claimed this view as evidence to the fact that we have no free will. Clarence Darrow and Ted Honderich were a few of the key thinkers behind determinism. However, on the other hand there

Free will is a key aspect of one’s character because it gives the individual an added sense of responsibility and control. Thus, freedom is something that mankind has always fought for through generations because it is something that is valued across the world. One’s character is constantly changing and there is no such thing as “staying the same”. So in reality, we are either striving to grow in areas of our lives or we are getting worse. Therefore, it is crucial to take advantage of every opportunity that comes knocking and be deliberate in taking steps that will either strengthen or weaken a person’s

Free will, the capability to choose, act, or think individually, exists in all human beings; whether one would like to acknowledge it or not. The idea of having a choice in one’s own life is empowering; whereas the feeling or thought of not having a say one’s life is just as demeaning. But, this belittling feeling people impose on themselves is voluntary. We all do have a choice, whether we believe it’s there or not.

I firmly advocate that others’ opinions should never constrain us. As Mary Kay Ash, a successful businesswoman once declared, "You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” Likewise, what matters most to me is determination: we can accomplish anything if we set our minds to our goals. Regardless of the outcome of my choices, I am determined to passionately follow my heart and make my own decisions.

In life we are all born into a society that is founded upon free will, individual thinking and individual effort. Free will can be defined as a decision made by an individual person without any outside influence. I for one believe that you will only get out of something what it is that you put into something, and this is the foundation of free will in thinking that if you chose to do something you may have to put forth effort in order to accomplish this task. However, if you think about it, is free will an illusion? Is every decision you make influenced by some factor or outcome from making that decision?

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 responsible for the decisions we make. Not only this, but also, our decisions have an effect on our peer’s choices, just as theirs affect ours. In this paper, I will argue that Jean-Paul Sartre makes the best argument of the three philosophers

Liberty is the naturally existing right of man to be free. Although it’s naturally occurring, it must be engaged with and people need to work to understand it. Liberty and free will go hand-in-hand. Free will is one’s ability to choose their own course of action, make their own decisions. Liberty is one’s right to free will.

Freedom and power are luxuries all humans desire. Since the dawn of humanity, man struggled and persevered through nature’s unforgiving vicissitudes, but emerged fervently from them with the stern intent of actuating his ever-evolving desires. The debate between determinism and free will has raged since antiquity, and the main difference between them lies in an element of control; the one outer and the other inner, respectively. Determinism is the "philosophical idea that every event or state of affairs, including every human decision and action, is the inevitable and necessary consequence of antecedent states of affairs." Free will, on the other hand, is the "power of acting without the constraint of necessity or

For instance, unless we are an innocent child or insane, we have the choice to kill. Free will states that we can stand up from where we are sitting right now and kill any person we want. Just because we can do it does not mean we will in most cases. In this case, the idea of killing someone may not come up in people minds for two reasons, they may know the consequences after the crime is committed or they may not have, reason to kill someone in the first place. Many people may think similarly because we become aware that we will have to face several consequences and thus know that we will be held responsible for our

In this paper I will do an introduction to and explain to everyone an important question that I’d like to ask the people and help answer for all of you. I really do hope that all of you agree with me on my points that I come across or at least understand where I’m coming from with my argument that I am trying to put out in the open. So what I will be mainly focusing on primarily is as a viewpoint in philosophy, we will see how a person like myself can exist with the ability to have free will in their hands. Actually to be even more precise on the topic and not make it so broad for everyone I would like for all of us to contemplate over a more precise issue on the matter and that issue that I will explain to you about is on

This theory of the absence of free will, known as hard determinism, has three main premises as its basis. The first premise states that no event is uncaused (Kleinman 64). This appeals to humanity’s practicality; for every force, there is an equal and opposite force. One reaps what he or she sows. What goes around, comes around. This form of logic demonstrated in the first premise satisfies society’s intrinsic desire for predictability and reason. The second premise then states that if an event is caused, it must occur; likewise, if it must occur, no other outcome could be achieved. Thus, if every event’s outcome is predetermined through causation, no man can act against it; this tenet makes up the third and final premise (Kleinman 64). Therefore, based upon these three premises, no man holds the power of free will.

The concept of determinism presents a complex problem for the theory of free will. How can people make free choices if all their actions are determined by factors from the past and other laws of nature? As such, how can people be held morally responsible if their actions have no free will? These questions are not