Free Will and Determinism
Free will and determinism have been topics of debates over the last decades. The approach of determinism argues that all human behavior is caused by preceding factors hence predictable. The proponents of free will argue that people have the capacity of choice on how to act and are self-determined (Nahmias 20). For instance, people have a free choice on whether to commit a crime or not, unless they are mentally ill or children. Despite the fact that behavior is not random, people are still free of causal influences over their past events. In philosophy, determinism precludes free will because it entails that humans cannot act and yet they can do. The aim of this paper is discussing free will and determinism.
Determinism
To demonstrate this argument, psychologists assume the truth of determinism and argue that free will is absent. Determinism exists in various situations. Psychological approaches argue that the source of determinism is outside of an individual, and this is referred to as environmental determinism (Atmanspacher, Harald, and Robert Bishop 66). For instance, children whose parents are violent also turn violent through imitation. Behaviorists strongly believe in this. Skinner, a strong proponent of determinism dismisses concept of free will as just an illusion that dismays the actual causes of human behavior. According to Moxley, Skinner theory, these causes lay…Show More…
Free Will
The argument of free will is diverse and complex. People’s choices may be free or even determined. Free will brings the aspect of liberalism that gives people freedom of choice and responsibility (Pink 308). People seem to be partly morally responsible and accountable for their actions. Free will exists and manifests itself differently in our daily lives; on the other side, free will may not exist to people.
The humanistic approach assumes human beings…..Show More….