Free will

you have time to ponder over, others must be made in a split-second. Some of the most difficult decisions to make are ones in which people feel ties to both different options and their parties. The main characters in Antigone, Into the Wild, and On Free Choice of the Will are all caught in inner struggles of choosing which competing obligation, between their self, others, and the Divine, to fulfill. ‘Obligation’ is defined in the dictionary as “something by which a person is bound or obliged to…

The Argument of Compatibilism Whether or not humans have free will, or are able to make decisions without outside influences affecting them, has always been a controversial topic. There are many different views on this topic, including the compatibilist view which believes that free will and causal determinism are compatible. There are many arguments about free will that refute the compatibilist view and believe that free will and causal determinism cannot coincide. However, there is good…

Determinism assumes that we do not have free will, since we are not personally responsible for our own actions. An individual can only have free will if they performed an action they were completely responsible for, but had the option of performing a different action under the same conditions. However, since all of our actions are predetermined, there is no way we could make our own decisions and cause our own actions, therefore illustrating that we do not have free will under the theory of…

The important question of free will is as follows; Are humans really ever able to control their actions and decisions? Richard Taylor a 20th century philosopher has written a relevant and thought provoking article entitled Fate, where in he attempts to answer this question. Taylor believes in the philosophical doctrine of fatalism, a view closely related to hard determinism. There is a clear and concise difference between these two theories. Fatalism can be defined simply as: “the belief that…

should live your life according to authenticity instead of happiness. Sartre defines authenticity as focusing on an individual 's freedom by making his or her own decisions. In this paper I will explain how I am free using Sartre’s Existentialism and Human Emotion. Sartre says human beings are free when they are being authentic by living according to their moral character, which is determined by your responsibility for your actions, responsibility for mankind, and responsibility for your…

Existentialism in the Face of Mass Shootings: The Balance Between Free Will and Human Life Free will equips humans with the right to act however they choose. Existentialism is a philosophical discipline that encourages humans to use this free will to affect their own development in a meaningful way. Although the United States has previously been lauded for its promotion of independence and self-determination, many are beginning to question why one person’s freedom to bear arms should…

only viable position in the debate concerning free will and determinism. In doing so, I will present, explain, and critically evaluate compatibilism. I will then consider, but ultimately reject, the following two objections against compatibilism: the hard determinists’ beliefs that we have no free will due to causal determinism and the libertarians’ belief that we are not causally determined. Compatibilism is the belief that causal determinism and free will are both true. Causal determinism is…

everyone’s opinion about it must be respected this is also an example of freedom. John. F. Kennedy said “The best road to progress is freedom”. Freedom is important aspect to build and maintain a positive atmosphere of a society. If there is freedom and free minds in society people will always think about the betterment of their surroundings and it will make the people in that…

Fahrenheit 451 Essay For me, Freedom is the privilege to do as you please as long as it is within reason and does not harm a person in anyway. Freedom is limited. With freedom you can choose your own path in life and you will not be fully restrained. Keeping freedom is not always an easy task because it can get complicated. In Fahrenheit 451, Clarisse clearly has some kind of freedom. She asks Montag lots of questions and she thinks for herself. This is some freedom and the other people in…

Determinism One of the greatest discussions amongst philosophers deals with explaining the basis of all human actions. This debate between determinism and free will is at the core of many philosophical questions. Determinism is the idea that every event in the universe is determined by a previous event or cause, and that there is no free will. Determinism is not the idea that an event will happen and we have no control over it, but the idea that our actions are predetermined by our previous…