A large and important topic in philosophy is the idea of what us, as humans, are in control of throughout our lives. Are we in control of every moment in our life, or is our life completely mapped out for us. This question leads us to two critical terms used by philosophers, free will and determinism. I will analyze these two theories and discuss different viewpoints that philosophers have regarding free will and determinism. I will explain how they interact with one another in an attempt to confirm my belief that yes, we have free will even if determinism is true. I will start my discussion with an explanation of the concepts of free will. Free will is a common term that most people have heard several times in their life, and
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Compatiblism is the belief that we have free will, and simultaneously determinism is true. Based on the views of the incompatibilists it doesn’t make sense that free will and determinism can both be true, but the compatibilists disagree with number 5 in the basic argument for incompatibillism. They disagree with the belief that if you do not have control over the future then you do not have free will. Compatibilists explain this disagreement by stating that the incompatibilists have the wrong meaning for the term “free will”. Stace states, “ learned men, especially philosophers have assumed an incorrect definition of free will” (80). The correct meaning of free will, according to compatibilism, is that a human’s action is free if he is doing what he wants to do. More formally put by Stace, “Acts freely done are those whose immediate causes are psychological states in the agent. Acts not freely done are those whose immediate causes are states of affairs external to the agent” (83). When Stace says psychological states he means wants and desires. Thus, actions must be caused properly in order for them to be free, and that the proper cause must come from inside the person. Compatiblists declare that the common usage of the word free will is essential for determining the correct definition. For example, say that in scenario one, I don’t get on the Internet for a week because I do not have any direct or wireless access to the Internet. In scenario two, I do not get on the Internet for a week because the FBI is tracking me, and I don’t want to get caught. Scenario one, is a case where I was forced to stay off the Internet. I could not have acted on a desire to get on the Internet, even if I had had that desire. On the other hand, Scenario two, using ordinary English, is a case where I have acted on my free will
Compatiblism is the belief that we have free will, and simultaneously determinism is true. Based on the views of the incompatibilists it doesn’t make sense that free will and determinism can both be true, but the compatibilists disagree with number 5 in the basic argument for incompatibillism. They disagree with the belief that if you do not have control over the future then you do not have free will. Compatibilists explain this disagreement by stating that the incompatibilists have the wrong meaning for the term “free will”. Stace states, “ learned men, especially philosophers have assumed an incorrect definition of free will” (80). The correct meaning of free will, according to compatibilism, is that a human’s action is free if he is doing what he wants to do. More formally put by Stace, “Acts freely done are those whose immediate causes are psychological states in the agent. Acts not freely done are those whose immediate causes are states of affairs external to the agent” (83). When Stace says psychological states he means wants and desires. Thus, actions must be caused properly in order for them to be free, and that the proper cause must come from inside the person. Compatiblists declare that the common usage of the word free will is essential for determining the correct definition. For example, say that in scenario one, I don’t get on the Internet for a week because I do not have any direct or wireless access to the Internet. In scenario two, I do not get on the Internet for a week because the FBI is tracking me, and I don’t want to get caught. Scenario one, is a case where I was forced to stay off the Internet. I could not have acted on a desire to get on the Internet, even if I had had that desire. On the other hand, Scenario two, using ordinary English, is a case where I have acted on my free will