Free Essays

Within Ayer’s short essay he discusses the two, seemingly opposing, ideas of free-will and determinism. Throughout his work, however, Ayer seems to break down the ‘divide’ between these two ideas by discussing the differences between causality and constraint of actions. Ayer briefly sets up why the question free-will, and therefore freedom of action, or not having such freedoms, is a problem for us as a society. Our society’s legal system is grounded in the notion that people freely choose to…

After reading chapter four section six “Neuroscience and Free Will”, one philosopher stood out to me. Alva Noë’s views on what creates our consciousness and what makes a person who they are intrigues me. He states “Consciousness requires the joint of brain, body, and the world. Indeed, consciousness is an achievement of the whole animal in its environmental context” (Chaffee 208-209). The fact that he attributes consciousness to our entire being and not solely the brain makes sense to me. Many…

titled “The Debate Over Free Will” is about the three arguments over free will. They are Determinism, Libertarianism, and Compatibilism. The Determinism argument is, as Rachels states, that our actions are manipulated by forces we cannot control. The second argument Rachels presents is Libertarianism which states that some actions we freely choose and that we are also not made to do so. The last argument is Compatibilism and according to Rachels, it states that actions are both free and…

The argument of free will is the embodiment of philosophical ideologies that allow individuals to wonder if they have control over their fate. While it is still unclear who or what is controlling someone’s actions, individuals need to recognize the importance of the ideology that surrounds the decision-making process of all individuals. Is one truly the master of their own decisions and express “free will”; determining their own destinies? Or are events in one’s life inevitable, as all…

Is free will compatible with determinism? That’s the most philosophical question asked. Free will is the power or ability to make a choice for which one can be held responsible for. Determinism is the thesis that at any time the universe has one physically possibility in the future. Compatibilisim is the thesis that we can have free will in a deterministic world. This philosophical question is still not unsolved, but in this essay I will argue that a freedom of choice cannot be had by an agent…

beings, but rather we have free will. It has long been argued that people are not free and do not have free will; that rather than having free will we live in a world that is predetermined. That our choices and actions are reflections of and happen because of a long line of other choices and action that caused the present, and thus we have a fixed future. This is just not the case. We, human beings, in the universe, all feel as though we are making decisions and using our free will each day.…

Response Paper “The Debate Over Free Will” In chapter nine of the book Problems from Philosophy by James and Stuart Rachels, the authors discuss the debate over free will. The idea of humans having free will is the main argument in this chapter. The authors noted that the more we learn about the human behavior, the less likely it seems that we are free. Though different groups have the same meaning for free will, the goal of this chapter is to determine if we have free will or not. The…

Human behaviour is the result of free-will. Free-will is the logic that every person chooses how they act and are free to choose their own behaviour. In simple terms, human behavior is self-determined. Human behaviour is a result of free-will because we as individuals make our own choices in life, choose the paths we take, and have to accept the consequences as they come. This is known as personal agency, the ability to exercise your free will. As Maslow and Rogers expressed, freedom is not only…

Paper VIII Unlike the vast topics of philosophy, free will (ability to do otherwise and be the originator of the choice) is one that appeals to everyone regardless of their beliefs or life choices. The topic itself is an ontological issue, deeply rooted in the metaphysical nature of reality. For example, arguments for logical determinism are dependent on the aspect of the reality of time and whether or not the future already exists or if it is adaptable. Additionally, logical determinism can be…

appetites lean towards some form of goodness. The intellectual appetite, which desires knowledge, seeking all goodness. Unlike the other appetites “intellect can act with judgment which is free” it is the only appetite that can judge what is good. Free will acts upon its own judgements, not from…