Determinism and its threat to Free Will

Determinism and its threat to Free Will

Introduction

Human beings’ behavior cannot be exclusively linked to a certain stimulant.  It is, therefore, essential to determine whether human beings react from forces they have no control over or whether they decide on how to behave. There is a connection between determinism and free will. Although determinism appears to be in favor of most psychologists, it assumes that a person’s behavior results from forces within and outside, which we cannot control. It is the argument that a person’s anxiety could result from their genes. This essay will focus more in-depth on determinism and how predicable our actions are.

Determinism and its threat to Free Will

            Explaining in detail what determinism is, it can be grouped into either external or internal. External determinism is a theory that behavior is triggered by factors outside an individual, such as school and media. Children can, therefore, sometimes get aggressive when raised by violent parents. Internal determinism, on the other hand, is a biological approach whereby behavior is governed by evolution. Some reactions are triggered by hormones and neurological processes in a body. Determinism can either be hard or soft (Inwagen,1975). The hard version is a threat to free will as it sees it as an illusion.

In this approach, it is assumed that a person does not choose to commit a crime, but their actions are instead fueled by their history and the circumstances around them, leaving them with no choice. Soft determinism states that an individual has an option that is controlled by either internal or external factors. Poverty, for instance, does not make people steal but the desperation brought by it. Determinism is, however, not consistent with the ideas of self-control and responsibility, which are the foundation of morals. It is also disadvantageous in that it is difficult to predict people’s behavior because they are influenced by variables that interact in complex ways.

The theory of free will states that an individual has a choice in their actions, and they have freedom in choosing their behavior. A person can, for instance, decide whether or not to commit a crime. The decision is, however, exclusive for adults and sane people because they are in the right age and mind to make decisions. According to this theory, people take responsibility for their actions. There is an assumption that human beings have free will, which is necessary for the functionality of human beings. People have control over their destinies. Determinism suggests that an individual’s actions are controlled by unconsciousness which whose forces can be overcome through therapy. It is argued that a person can control their lives, although they face a fear (Franklin,2017). The fear makes people lose hold of their free will and give in to external forces such as circumstances people and some internal forces such as feelings. People can choose to do good or evil, and determinism is avoidable as it takes away dignity and free will and does not attach any value to an individual’s behavior.  Determinism overlooks the responsibility that people have for their actions. A person imprisoned for murder can, for instance, claim that they did not choose to commit the crime but were forced by some stressful situations they were going through or by their upbringing.

Determinism is, without a doubt, a threat to free will as the two are not compatible. In free will, it is required that an individual can act otherwise while faced by a situation when dealing with the predictability of human actions; an individual act in a way that another person had predicted. A person can have free will and act expectedly. It is the predictability of our actions that poses a more significant threat to free will because there are some assumptions made about their activities. It is assumed that a person acts in a way because they were left with no choice, and it had also been predicted that way (Franklin,2017). Some factors must have triggered their actions. It would, however, be to disagree with the theory because acting in a way that had been predicted does not deny people the choices. Only programmed objects can operate in a specific way depending on the instructions because they lack the free will to decide otherwise. Determinism, therefore, threatens free will because human beings always have free will. The environment and circumstances can force someone to behave in a way, but the individual still has free will. It means that they can always choose whether or not to proceed with their actions as choices have consequences.

The point of view from the first paraphrase is that the people around you tend to know you so well, such that they can almost predict your next moves. The other phrase suggests that although the character had not foreseen his future, through his free will, he somehow managed to live it. Of the two points of view, it would be fair to conclude that the second one is right. “He sat a long time, and he thought about his life and how little of it he could have foreseen.” Free will gives human beings the potential to determine their destiny.