Essay about Existence of Free Will - 1661 Words

Existence of Free Will Existence of free will is often argued from introspection. Freedom means choice. Since I chose to write this paper and I could have chosen otherwise, I am free in writing this paper. However, to establish that I could have chosen otherwise, proving that I felt that I could have chosen otherwise is not enough: One must also prove that my choice is the original cause of my motives to write this paper. According to compatibilists, your action is free if the immediate cause of the action are your thoughts, there is no coercion, no duress (physical or mental), and your thoughts satisfy a certain condition on freedom, which varies depending on the compatibilist. If that is used as definition of freedom, then my†¦show more content†¦Moreover, the only way to show existence of possibilities is through choices and randomness, so if the world is deterministic, there is no evidence that the world can possibly be anything but what it is; deciding what is possible would be a matter of convention and not reality. In a deterministic world, choosing to do otherwise is as impossible as choosing for 2+2 to equal five: Under no circumstance does any person has any choice. Rejection of determinism, however, is insufficient for free will. Mere randomness does not amount to freedom since it is indistinguishable whether the randomness is generated now or one million years ago. Postulating a free agent is not sufficient either, because of the following argument: Suppose that whenever you act, you act a particular way solely because of the way you are except for the external factors or randomness. At this moment, you cannot change what you are at this moment since at any given time you are what you are at that time. The external factors are also what they are--they can change with time, but we are analyzing them at the time you make the choice. If an outcome is random, you cannot choose it either. If you had chosen to act otherwise, then since your choice is based solely on yourself, external factors, and randomness, these factors would be different from what they are. Since you cannot change these factors, you cannot choose to act otherwise. For a choice t o be genuine,Show MoreRelatedReflection On The Existence Of Free Will1135 Words   |  5 PagesI. Conceptual Clarification â€Å"Causality† - Causality, within the context of determining the existence of free will, is the â€Å"causal link [that] determines what the future looks like.† (Rauhut, 82) In other words, it is the relationship between two or more events, in which an action is caused or influenced by a prior event. For example, within the context of my â€Å"big decision,† I am choosing between getting a traditional job or selling artwork. The causality within this scenario exists in that IRead MoreThe Debate Over The Existence Of Free Will1228 Words   |  5 PagesThe debate over the existence of free will is possibly one of the most important discussions of human nature. Insight into this debate holds vast ethical, legal and political implications. In my experience, those who are not familiar with the topic often conflate free will for consciousness, and impetuously accept the existence of free will. Free will is defined as the freedom of humans to make choices that ar e not determined by prior physical causes. Those who believe in free will thus ascribe aRead MoreThe Issue Over The Existence Of Free Will Essay1555 Words   |  7 PagesBackground The up and coming fields of neuroscience and neuropsychology have the potential to break a seemingly everlasting stalemate on the debate over the existence of free will. Breaking away from a purely theoretical approach to discussing a philosophical question could shed some light into our greatest existential dilemmas. German philosopher Martin Heidegger himself said, â€Å"we ourselves are entities to be analyzed,† and that seems ever so fitting for the investigation into consciousness. AlthoughRead MoreDeterminism Vs. Indeterminism And The Existence Of Free Will2943 Words   |  12 PagesThough there is no singular definition of ‘free will’, the standard argument against it is the dilemma between determinism/indeterminism and the fact that these two concepts threaten the prospect or the existence of free will. Determinism is the basic philosophical principle that every event, including human decisions and actions, are the imminent consequence of prior events. St rict determinism would argue that free will does not exist due to the fact that our previous actions or past events, determineRead MoreDeterminism And Free Will Essay1518 Words   |  7 PagesDeterminism and Free Will When the topic of metaphysics is mentioned, focus shifts to philosophical perspectives that give an explanation of the fundamental nature of being or existence and the universe that encompasses both. Metaphysics often seeks to answer basic questions, such as what is there and what is it like. One of the key branches of metaphysics is ontology, which refers to the philosophical study of the nature of existence, being, reality, or becoming. The significant ontologicalRead MoreJean-Paul Sartre’s Philosophy: Radical Freedom and Responsibility 1253 Words   |  6 Pagesmean when I say that man is condemned to be free† (Sartre 32). Radical freedom and responsibility is the central notion of Jean-Paul Sartre’s philosophy. However, Sartre himself raises objections about his philosophy, but he overcomes these obvious objections. In this paper I will argue that man creates their own essence through their choices and that our values and choices are important because th ey allow man to be free and create their own existence. I will first do this by explaining Jean-PaulRead MoreThe Existence Of Evil By Blackburn Theory1264 Words   |  6 Pages In Blackburn theory I am going to argue that his theory the existence of evil strongly suggests that there does not exist a God who is all-good, all-knowing and all-powerful to be false. In my argument I will try to present facts that show the existence of God and why there is evil. Exposition: 313 In Blackburn’s argument he basically mentions that because there is evil in the world there is no existence of a present creator. It is impossible to see the suffering that’s goingRead MoreThe Existence Of Evil Within The World Created By A Good God1004 Words   |  5 PagesThe existence of evil in a world created by a good God Introduction It is by divine design that evil can exist in a world created by a good God. Evil would not exist if God did not will it into existence. Balance is also a major factor as to why evil has been brought into reality. Chinese philosophy of Ying and Yang has a great principle that states â€Å"that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites (Cartwright, 2012).† Good cannot be recognized without the recognition of evil andRead More The Problem of Evil Disproved by the Free Will Defense Essay1059 Words   |  5 PagesThe Problem of Evil Disproved by the Free Will Defense The Problem of Evil states that because evil exists the existence of a tri-omni being, which we typically refer to as God, is impossible. This argument, if proved to be true, would refute the Cosmological Argument for God’s Existence. The Cosmological Argument states that not every being can be a dependent being without infinite regress (which is believed to be impossible), so there exists a tri-omni self dependent being knownRead MoreRejection of Existentialism Essays837 Words   |  4 Pagesthe belief that existence precedes essence. To help illustrate his point he presents the example of a paper knife, an object that possess a set of qualities that enable it to carry out its purpose. He states that it would not have been created without a particular purpose, therefore its essence precedes its existence. (Sartre) Sartre rejects this idea when it comes to mankind and declares that humans in themselves have no nature and define themselves after coming into ex istence. This stems from