Free-will: The Never Ending Debate
CONTENT:
- What
Is Free Will
- The
Significance Of Free-will
- Control
Theory of Free-Will
- Determinism
and Compatibilism on Control Theory
- Conclusion
Free will is a concept we often hear about, but do we truly understand it? At its core, free will means having the freedom to make our own choices without being unduly influenced by outside forces. This idea has sparked debates among philosophers for centuries. Traditionally, free will is seen as the power to make decisions for which we can be held morally responsible. Many philosophers also believe that it might also be crucial for broader things like moral values, creativity, and self-governance.
The Significance of Free Will
So, why is free will so important? Why have thinkers from Aristotle to Dostoevsky been so captivated by it? Free will matters in so many areas—religion, neuroscience, ethics—you name it.
In religious philosophy, even if people believe in a predetermined destiny, they still wonder if their beliefs are truly theirs or just handed down by their ancestors. In neuroscience, understanding free will helps us figure out how our desires turn into actions. Do we act on our own, or are we just responding to external influences?
When it comes to ethics, free will shapes our moral judgments. Take the example of a hungry person stealing bread to survive. Some might say this act is justified because food is a basic need, while others might argue that stealing is always wrong. These dilemmas show how free will influences our sense of justice and morality.
In essence, free will is a crucial topic that cuts across many fields, pushing us to explore the nature of human agency and its impact on personal responsibility and societal norms.
Now, that we are familiar with the idea of free-will and its significance, it's time go deeper.
Control Theory of Free Will
Defining free will sounds straightforward, but it's a complex and nuanced topic. When I looked into it, I found two main types of free will that help to understand it: Volitional Free Will and Intrinsic Free Will.
Volitional Free Will (Controlled) is about making conscious choices, like picking a career or deciding what to eat.
Intrinsic Free Will (Uncontrolled), on the other hand, covers things we can't control, like our heartbeat. we can't stop it just because we will to do it.
This type highlights the limits of our ability to will certain actions. Also, even Volitional free-will has the intrinsic motive to the action. i.e. taking example of food, one might think that he is eating just because he will to do so but there is an intrinsic idea behind it: Hunger, which one can't control.
So, every type of volition and action is somewhat based on an intrinsic motive that we might see or not see but we always know it or I can say we're always aware of it.
Determinism and Compatibilism on Control Theory
Does believing in control theory mean that we believe in determinism?
To answer that, let's understand determinism. Determinism says every action is predetermined and has only one possible outcome. If that's true, one could argue that we can't be held morally responsible for our actions since they were inevitable.
But it's not that simple. The debate between free will and determinism is complex and I believe in simplifying things. So, first let me tell you that despite the arguments, I firmly believe in free will. We make choices based on our desires, and we are responsible for these choices—no one else. Why?
Well, see if I believe in Determinism then I must see a murderer as an innocent person. Because what he did was predetermined and he couldn't change it even if he will to do. The blame is to the one who determined it and did nothing to stop it. So, Determinism is not what I equalize with control theory.
To make understanding clearer take this example:
Consider Yuni, who sees his long-lost love being abused by her partner. He contemplates killing the abuser to protect her. This seems like a free will decision, but Yuni's choice is influenced by his desire to rescue her, end her suffering, and rekindle their relationship. These motives shape his decision, showing that even free will is influenced by outside factors. That is what I propose when I talked about Intrinsic free-will. Yuni is definitely to blame because it was him who chose to kill a person but that isn't his free-will. His motives were external.
In conclusion, our actions might seem driven by free will, but they're often shaped by motives and circumstances beyond our control. The challenge is understanding how these factors influence our choices.
Compatibilism and the Control Theory
You might think control theory of free-will sound like compatibilism, and let me tell you that they do share similarities. Compatibilism says free will is compatible with determinism, meaning we can still make meaningful choices even if our actions are caused by prior events.
However, the control theory differs by clearly distinguishing between controlled (volitional) and uncontrolled (intrinsic) free will, something not typically outlined in traditional compatibilism.
Compatibilism can be known as a ground of control theory. Because where they share the same idea, Control theory goes further in it and states the type whereas compatibilism stops at the meaning of choice.
Conclusion
Free will is a vast topic and will likely remain so for a long time. Everyone has their take on it, and this was mine. I hope you found it interesting.
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