Free Will and Determinism: Are They Even Relevant to Each Other? (original) (raw)

Free Will and Determinism: Resolving the Tension

Open Journal of Philosophy, vol. 4, no. 11, 482-498, 2021

Progress may be made in resolving the tension between free will and determinism by analysis of the necessary conditions of freedom. It is of the essence that these conditions include causal and deterministic regularities. Furthermore, the human expression of free will is informed by understanding some of those regularities, and increments in that understanding have served to enhance freedom. When the possible character of a deterministic system based on physical theory is considered, it is judged that, far from implying the elimination of human freedom, such a theory might simply set parameters for it; indeed knowledge of that system could again prove to be in some respects liberating. On the other hand, it is of the essence that the overarching biological framework is not a deterministic system and it foregrounds the behavioural flexibility of humans in being able to choose within a range of options and react to chance occurrences. Furthermore, an issue for determinism flows from the way in which randomness (e.g. using a true random number generator) and chance events could and do enter human life. Once the implications of that issue are fully understood, other elements fit comfortably together in our understanding of freely undertaken action: the contribution of reasons and causes; the fact that reasons are never sufficient to account for outcomes; the rationale for the attribution of praise and blame.

"Some Dilemmas Concerning the Notion of Free will”

International Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, (IJHSSE), volume 10, Issue 6, pp. 25-29 , 2023

As we know, there is a difference between a simple wish and the will of an individual. Not only a concrete action is required in order to alleviate the impact of various factors that inhibit the former before it becomes ‘will’, but also a deep level of human consciousness. It implies conscientious motivation, clear goals, etc. My paper introduces some of the elements instrumental in the leap from the wish to the human will. As the issue of Free Will shall be central to the paper because when I say ‘human will’ I refer to ‘free will’, I have to mention that I adopt a pragmatic perspective on this notion. I. e. even though, as quantum physics tell us, any decision we make is conditioned by realities pertaining to it, we do not think of this state of affair when we carry out our activities – at least not always. Because of that we feel free – free enough to be able to function according to social norms.

Free will: Philosophical views on the nature of human choice and limitations

The need to explore free will arises from continuous reflection and discussion about the nature of human existence and the ability of humans to make free decisions. This need is compounded by ambiguity in views and approaches to this concept and its meaning for various aspects of life. The examination of free will becomes relevant due to the need to understand the causes of actions, moral responsibility, and the possibilities of human influence on the world. This study was devoted to the disclosure of key aspects of free will through the analysis of historical and modern theories. In the course of the study, a literary analysis was involved, which included work with papers on related subjects. The conceptual analysis allowed defining and understanding the main concepts and terms of the subject under study. Comparative analysis was applied to the papers of other researchers who worked on the same or similar subjects to identify similarities and differences and determine prospects for future research in this area. The study shows that there are two main directions in this discussion: determinists believe that all events, including human actions, are predetermined, and compatibilists state that free will is compatible with determinism. The study provides a detailed analysis of deterministic and compatibilist concepts of free will. Arguments for and against free will, which indicate the influence of external factors on human choice, are considered. Through the analysis of historical and modern theories, the examination of various concepts and argumentation, this study identifies the main approaches to the interpretation of the concept of free will in the context of philosophical thought. The main results indicate the complexity and versatility of the concept of free will and the importance of considering various factors that influence human choice

FREEDOM AND DETERMINISM AND ITS MORAL CONSEQUENCES

In this article problems associated with free will and determinism shall be considered, starting by explaining the terms involved, the difficulty (if there is one), and then trying to understand the proposed solutions. The importance of the topic is plain enough: it comes up often, in many contexts, and is one that people can easily understand the relevance of; which is only to say that it isn't just for the philosophers.

The Reconciliation Of Determinism And Free Will

The philosophical world has long attempted to reconcile determinism with the notion of free will. Everything we have observed above the sub-atomic level appears to operate in a strictly causal relationship with other objects. This appears to indicate that all events are completely causally determined. On the other hand, we each clearly sense that we are more than mere causal automatons. We make choices, and we exercise free will, and these choices affect our future. Thus, the notions of determinism and free will are at odds. This paper will thoroughly reconcile those two notions

Free will - Derk Pereboom - 2022

This Element provides a thorough overview of the free will debate as it currently stands. After distinguishing the main senses of the term "free will" invoked in that debate, it proceeds to set out the prominent versions of the main positions, libertarianism, compatibilism, and free will skepticism, and then to discuss the main objections to these views. Particular attention is devoted to the controversy concerning whether the ability to do otherwise is required for moral responsibility and whether it is compatible with determinism and to manipulation arguments against compatibilism. Two areas in which the free will debate has practical implications are discussed in detail: personal relationships and criminal justice.

AN ECLECTIC APPROACH TO THE DOCTRINE OF DETERMINISM

APPON Philosophical Quarterly: A Journal of the Association of Philosophy Professionals of Nigeria, 2024

Are human beings actually free beings? The doctrine of determinism gives a negative response to this question. Determinism therefore claims that humans are not free to act or make choices, since they are always constrained in some way. By so doing, determinism denies human freedom and human moral responsibility. It rejects the idea that humans act freely, or that humans can be regarded as responsible for their actions and inactions. This outright denial of human freedom and human moral responsibility is certainly pregnant with several implications, which this article is aimed at exposing. This article adopts the expository, analytic and critical methods. It begins with a clarification of the concept of determinism and then goes on to discuss five types of determinism, namely: (a) physical, (b) psychological, (c) historical, (d) ethical and (e) theological determinism, respectively. Also, this article discusses two categories of determinism known as soft and hard determinism. Furthermore, this article exposes some implications of determinism for events and humanity. Finally, adopting eclecticism as its theoretical framework, this article proposes that it is best to approach the doctrine of determinism by simply recognising and accepting the fact that there are aspects of humans that are determined, and there are equally aspects of humans that are not determined. By so doing, this article establishes that approaching the doctrine of determinism eclectically is the surest way of accommodating the opposing doctrines of determinism and 'freewillism.'