Compatibilism Free Will Essay

The problem with free will is whether or not we make our own decisions or not. In this essay, I will discuss the three main points of view that tries to answer the problem of free will. The first argument is that we have free will, which is the idea that we have complete free choice and freedom. The second theory is determinism, which says everything is inevitable and everything is caused by previous decisions in the past. The third point of view is compatibilism. Compatibilism says that most things are determined but some decisions we make are free.
Free will is the concept that we have our own personal freedom and that we are in complete control of ourselves. Free will says that we make our own choices and that no external forces cause us to make our own conscious decisions. Free willism does recognize that the universe relies on cause and effect but says that we generate the ideas that start the causal chain of events. The main argument for free will is that it feels like we have the ability to make our own choices and since we …show more content…
Compatibilism is the middle ground between determinism and free will. Compatibalism is often referred to as “soft determinism.” When it comes to moral responsibility, the problem is that if we have no control over our actions we cannot hold anyone accountable for anything they do. This would mean that nobody could be tried in jail because if they committed a crime, it was not their fault since they were going to commit said crime no matter what. Compatibilism’s stance on responsibility is that we can still take moral responsibility for our actions even though they are determined. Compatibilism says that we are responsible for our own actions because our choices come from our own mind. So, the reason we are considered morally responsible is because we do what we want to do even though we couldn’t do