Free will versus determinism in philosophy

Free Will vs. Determinism

The same set of questions has plagued mankind since time immemorial. Are people's choices, and therefore destinies, predetermined, or are they subject to their own free will? or, are both forces at play, with some aspects out of their hands, while others completely under their control. Do people truly have autonomy, or are they controlled by determinism?

There are those who feel that every aspect of their life is predetermined by some sort of fate. They believe that the world is bursting with external causes and for this reason their actions are significantly limited. It is this limitation that prevents the individual from having any real control of their life. That they are only actors in a pre-scripted play, and have no choice but to follow the direction that has been set before them. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are those who believe that an individual always has and always will have free will. And that their destiny is truly within their control, determined only by the individual and unique choices they make.

Determinism is most often defined as a theory involving a higher power or order that guides each and every facet of the universe. This is clearly demonstrated in the case of God's law in Christianity. Every action and reaction in the universe depends upon and is conditioned by their causes. In what is known as 'hard' determinism, every moment of existence is directly a cause by the law (Passantino & Passantino). In hard determinism, every event in life is a direct effect of all the events that preceded it; therefore, these events are set and predetermined ("Determinism").

This incompatibilism is what takes determinism and transforms it into fatalism. With fatalism, a person simply cannot take any action that would alter the already predetermined future. The future is set in stone and human beings are merely along for the ride. In this extreme version of determinism, it is pointless for humans to deliberate or take any action, because events will unfold as they have been pre-destined to unfold ("Fatalism").

In fatalism, a person only has free will if they are the exclusive originative cause of their actions, and that they actually could have made another choice. Fatalism believes, though, that every choice is limited by the past, predetermined by the past, and no other choice could have been made. d'Holback was one philosopher who was a true incompatabilist. He fully subscribed to the theory of fatalism and its rejection of free will. Yet, on the other side of the coin, van Inwagen, a Libertarian philopsopher, believed that autonomy was the correct theory and rejected determinism ("Determinism").

The immediate cause of fact is removed from the ultimate cause in 'soft' determinism. The compatibilists believe that the theories of free will and determinism are not necessarily mutually exclusive. They believe in determinism, however, they also believe that the causal agents are not necessarily predetermined in a free choice ("Free Will"). Soft determinism believes that indeed the future is shaped by the actions of individuals, however, if those actions had been different, the future would have been different. In this form of determinism, the actions of individuals are limited by the restraints imposed by the actions of the past; therefore, these restrictions pre-determine the future.

In soft determinism, compatibilists, such as Hume, believe that determinism and free will are somewhat compatible. They view free will as not the absolute ability to choose a different choice, given the exact same set of circumstances, but rather the theoretical ability to make a different choice, if the person had different beliefs or desires. They see free acts as caused by a person's beliefs, desires, and their character ("Compatabilism"). They understand that there is a decision making process for human beings, however, they believe that this decision making process is so affected by the events that occurred prior to the decision, that the choice is predetermined.

On the other hand, those who subscribe to the theory of free will believe that life's events are a direct result of the person's own self-generated actions. It is the philosophical idea that a person is able to choose from a variety of real alternatives, and depending on which alternative is chosen, it is this choice that ultimately determines the outcome ("Free Will"). In Christian theology, free will involves the belief that it is through God's gift to humankind that they have the ability and desire to make choices, commitments, etc., and are not forced to take predetermined actions due to external causes.

The self-determination of a rational being is free will (Passantino & Passantino).

Free will, or autonomy, theorists believe that every event in existence is exclusive of all others, and therefore allows for unlimited possibilities of choice. Free will is found throughout all cultures and is also a founding belief to society's ethical and legal systems (Davies). In fact, the Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics has led many free will theorists to believe that quantum theory disproves physical determinism ("Quantum Mechanics").

With free will, a person has true freedom of action without restraint. Autonomy allows for wielding of control through causal relations. Although these causalities present restraints, in free will, they do not prevent a person from having freedom of action. An analogy may be that gravity limits the conditions under which a person can fly, however, gravity does not actually prevent a person from flying. It is the same with free will and causal relations.

Of course there are time and dynamics that come into consideration when discussing how much control a person has on their actions, and therefore their future destiny. In some scenarios, decisions have to be made instantaneously, and the decision making process must be so rapid, decisions have to come as second nature. In these cases, decisions are dramatically affected by the experiences the individual has acquired, over the course of their lifetime. These are automatic responses, that do not allow for anything other than an instinctual response.