Determinism Vs Compatibilism

Free will is a voluntary act and by definition, it is being able to act on one’s own beliefs and desires. The question of whether or not humans have free will is one that has been discussed for centuries. Do we, as humans, have the ability to act at one’s own discretion? Before getting into free will and all the topic has to offer, it is important to understand the topics of freedom and determinism. When we discus freedom, we usually discuss the idea that each and every person has control of their own mind and body. With this, a person is allowed to do whatever he or she wants, legally, as long as he or she does not harm or oblige another person against their own will. Philosophers ask many questions pertaining to freedom which consist of …show more content…
Soft determinism, also known as compatibilism and self-determinism, is the theory that determinism is true and that it is also compatible with freedom and responsibility. In other words, our actions are free when we ourselves are the causes of those actions. We act based on our desires, wants, and intentions, therefore our actions are considered free because we act based on our choices rather than external forces. Keep in mind that just because a person’s actions are acted out by their choices rather than external factors, does not mean that what a person wants is not determined by those external forces. Extrinsic coercion determines what a person desires, but as long as their actions are constant with their choices, their actions will always be considered …show more content…
Although I agree with this theory, I disagree with the statement “same past, same future.” For the most part, a person’s past experiences will have a major influence on what a person does or does not do. These experiences are what shape us into the people we are today and with that, it is difficult to say that those experiences would not have any effect on how we go about our beliefs and desires. Extrinsic factors do in fact play a role in a person’s desires and intentions, but a person is not always going to act based off of those factors. This is where the libertarian statement comes in, “same past, different future.” Based off prior experiences that we have come across within our lifetime, we as humans have the time to reflect and figure out how we want to act out our beliefs and desires. Whether the actions a person takes are necessary or unnecessary depending on the situation, is truly based off of their better judgement. Not everyone will have a “better judgement” when it comes to making decisions, but that is where the personal responsibility from soft determinism comes in. There are always going to be consequences for any bad choices a person makes and everyone is going to be responsible for their actions whether those actions are good or