The problem of Free Will - 1950 Words

In the following essay I will describe the problem of free will and explain several different responses to the problem. These responses will be derived from the determinist, libertarian, and compatibilist views. I will end the essay by arguing that the compatibilist view seems to best address the problem of free will, but does not necessarily solve it. The problem of free will arises from two conflicting ideas. The first idea is that people have free will. Having free will means that people have the ability to choose and act on what they would like to do. Most people seem accept this idea easily and live their lives believing that to some extent they are in control of the choices they make. If this idea is true then people can be held responsible and subsequently praised or blamed for their choices or actions. For example, a male student named Bob can be blamed for cheating if he chooses to use his notes while taking his test even though the professor instructed his class to not use their notes. He can be blamed for cheating because Bob chose to use his notes on his own and no one forced Bob to cheat. The second of the two conflicting ideas that most people seem to readily accept is known as determinism. Determinism is at odds with free will because it states that â€Å"every event has a cause,† meaning even the choices that we make are not caused by ourselves (Conee and Sider 113). In other words, the cause of something can be indefinitely traced backwards. Science seems toShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Free Trade968 Words   |  4 Pages Free trade is the idea of being able to trade freely with another country, with few barriers that are made by the World Trade Organization. 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