Compatibilism Vs Free Will

Free will is thought of as being the ability to do whatever one wishes. Since free will seems to be one of the necessities for a sense of a moral responsibility many theories regarding it has been formed. One of those views is the compatibilists way of considering how free will functions. Compatibly usually expresses a truth of statements, so that two statements are compatible if they could both be true. Since compatible means co-possible, events are incompatible if they could not occur together. Compatibilism heavily relies on the thought that something “could” be true (38). That specific thought may not prove accurate, but there is the slight possibility that it could become correct. Compatibilism also states that free will requires no …show more content…
The first is referred to as first order desires. These are the very basic and primal thoughts that one experiences. Such as, “I want food” or “I need to use the bathroom”. After these desires they are executed quite quickly. They are the desire to preform a specific task. In contrast, a second order desire is the want to have or not have a fist order desire. The difference between the two desires is the outcome. A first order desire will have a simple response such as an object, place, or basic need. While on the other hand, a second order desire’s response will be another desire (54). Frankfurt describes second order desires as being more controllable than the first order desires. Someone can become addicted or controlled by a first order desire. If they are being controlled it cannot be considered free will anymore. While the second order desire allows them to have the urge to want to stop that first desire. He describes ones “will” as being a specific desire that they possess (55). The will is going to be the most effective desire. A person can have many desires occurring at the same time, but the one that wins out is going to be the will of that …show more content…
The main point that they are trying to prove is that compatibilism, in regards to free will, is that one has an option to do something different. Wether they will be praised or not can vary, but there is still the option to do otherwise. They are morally responsible when given then choice between different options, but it can be effected by the reasons and desires of why the specific task is being performed. This is why compatibilism can be seen as a very accurate explanation of free will, but there are still many questions and