Free agent

So, what exactly is free will? Free will is defined as, “a free and independent decision; a voluntary decision” (free will, n.d.). Do individuals possess free will and are morally responsible for their actions, or is everything predetermined for them and thus are not responsible for actions committed? This essay will discuss free will as well as determine a possible answer for whether there is such a thing as free will and moral responsibility. For my argument, I believe since everyone has some…

I have one question based on the response to the objection from finite perception of the infinite. On what view of human nature (i.e., humanist?) is the response based? In chapter 8, Kronen and Reitan continue to argue against the argument from freedom (AF) by focusing on its first premise (AF1), which holds that ‘God cannot guarantee the salvation of all without overriding the unregenerate’s freedom; a claim Kronen and Reitan of course reject. Moreover, Kronen and Reitan provide a more precise…

That’s where the argument of whether we really have free will comes in to play. The illusion of free will was one of the first topics discussed in The Illusion of Conscious Will. Do we really have free will? What lead to me making that decision? In the first chapter of The Illusion of Conscious Will we were introduced to the terms causal agents which can be broken into both internal and external causal agents. Internal causal agents are agents that are more personal, like your emotions or past…

where an individual has presumably no other choice; people tend to believe if for some reason you have no choice but to do something it is inherently not your fault. An individual can be held morally responsible even in the cases where they lack the free will to choose as Frankfurt contended. Throughout this paper, I will discuss points supporting my thesis, reasons to believe it is valid, examples supporting my opinion, and reasons I believe this is true. Human beings are morally responsible…

I chose to write this paper. I could have made the decision to do otherwise. Seemingly, multiple different courses of action were at my disposal upon beginning this endeavor; as there are now, and will be later. Intuitively, this how we see free-will—as a path leading towards an array of alternative possibilities. It seems evident that that we possess the freedom to direct our course of actions in anyway we desire. But what if this was an illusion? Such a claim is not as outlandish as it sounds…

Free will is the known as the capability to decide between different potential courses of action and is a highly questioned topic in the philosophical world. Free will, also closely accompanied to the views of moral responsibility, has some philosophers reason that only actions which are free willed are justified to accept the blame of the action while other philosophers oppose this view. Baron d’Holbach views free will under the idea of Determinism, which entails that only one sequence of…

environmental concern in Vietnam. Most industrial areas do not have waste water treatment plants and, around Vietnam, only 14% of waste water is treated. This has resulted in the loss of many ecosystems. The war also had a great effect on the environment. Agent Orange was used as a defoliant, bulldozers were used to remove vegetation and topsoil, landslides were purposely created, melaleuca forests were burned and elephants were bombed. It is estimated that 20,000 square km of forest and…

when the patient has come to, the surgeon explains that they have fixed the problem of OCD but they have also enabled this chip with the ability to monitor and control all of the patient’s actions. The illusion of free will be maintained but from that point on, the patient no longer has free will. Then the surgeon bids farewell and sends him out the door. In the following months, the patient believes what the surgeon has said and lives his life as if he is not in control: he becomes self…

future is already set and no one knows what will happen until the time comes and that is called hard determinism. Hard determinism is a theory that human behavior and actions are determined by external factors, and therefore humans do not have genuine free will or ethical accountability. Hard determinism contains two powerful objections, but is capable of being on it’s own. Hard determinism argues that every event results from prior causes and because human thoughts…

destined to transpire or a “supernatural occurrence” so to speak. Free will is self explanatory; it is determined by oneself as opposed to some hierarchy power. It is said that what we are, what we’ll become, what our life will consist of, who we’ll be in later life, and even troubles we’ll experience in our lifetime, is preordained. For instance, if I am told I will become the number one doctor in the United States,…