ARE WE FREE OR DETERMINED?
Q1
Individuals have long been in a controversial state with so many inconsistencies and conflicts concerning the “myths” surrounding the mind and freedom. Although the two aspects are solved and approached from different perspectives, the most distinct issues surrounding the dilemma is the relationship between free will and moral responsibility. In a nutshell, free will is considered as the ability of an agent to make choices without being constrained by many factors, such as physical, social, or, metaphysical factors. On the other hand, the dilemma of determinism holds that human beings are governed by the responsibility for their actions.
Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre is among the existentialists who emphasize that humans are free. There extreme thinking of the freedom of an individual is so tremendous that it forms the core of the human being while shaping their characteristics. Sartre insists that humans make themselves what they are. There is no fate or destiny and humans can make themselves what they want. The externalist believes that there is no God and is therefore a sickening idea. He further asserts that if there is, still, humans are free to determine their origin. Humans are free in their way. Nothing is governing their choice, and the decision to be who they are. Anything, therefore, that humans decide to do is a choice, and whether they do not choose to do it, already implies their choice.
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Determinism highlights how the effect of some causes determine the implicit behavior of human beings, and for anything to exist, then there needs to be an antecedent condition. The essence is that every behavior of humans has a cause. According to Sam Harris, there is seldom freedom of anyone’s will. His emphasis is that human beings are conditioned to believe in freedom. However, he believes that belief stops human them from effectively improving their quality of life. In this perspective, people have no minds to think they are free, but rather brains, which can be conditioned. Therefore, the choice to do something is dependent on the external or internal agents that force.
Q2
I would consider my love for the boxing sport as a deterministic behavior both internally and externally. I do not only love to watch boxing matches, but also like to have one or two boxing matches in a year as a semi-professional boxer. The local tournaments organized both in my college and in my locality in Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino, usually during major events of the year such as the New Year’s party and other major holiday celebrations, are a craze for my involvement. For me, I believe that my choice to love boxing is deterministic because of the aggressive nature of my violent parents. As I was growing up from a child to a young adult, I was used to the rough confrontational nature of my parents with themselves, as they would never settle a score without picking a fight.
Additionally, I would usually be roughed up and spanked most of the time by my dad, as a corrective mechanism, in a bid to align my behavior with their expectations. Unfortunately, that rough handling and the harsh environment led to my appreciation that humans are usually physical. I would usually solve my teenage issues violently with my peers. However, an interest in boxing has helped me a great deal in controlling my violent personality. Sam Harris would say that factors outside of my control determine my personality. However, Jean-Paul Sartre would still say that I have a choice not to be or not to be rough, which is my choice to be a semi-professional boxer and the rough personality I possess.
Q3
Essentially, Humans are either free or not. They can utilize their free will to make choices, or they do not have it at all because of the constraints governing them. The implication is that human beings can consider their decisions in a compatibilism manner. This implies that they can be influenced to act because of causal determinism, but can still act as free, though they should consider the moral responsibility of their actions. In this regard, humans should be held responsible for what they do. Individuals should understand that there are repercussions for their actions, either in the form of punishment or praise.
Bibliography
Pecorino, Philip A. An Introduction to Philosophy: An Online Textbook . CUNY, 2000. http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/SocialSciences/ppecorino/INTRO_TEXT/Chapter%207%20Freedom/CONTENTS.htm.
Zagzebski, Linda. The Philosophy of Religion: An Historical Introduction . New Jersey, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 2007.
Philip A. Pecorino, An Introduction to Philosophy: An Online Textbook (CUNY, 2000), http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/SocialSciences/ppecorino/INTRO_TEXT/Chapter%207%20Freedom/CONTENTS.htm
Linda Zagzebski, The Philosophy of Religion: An Historical Introduction (New Jersey, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 2007), 215.
Philip A. Pecorino, An Introduction to Philosophy: An Online Textbook (CUNY, 2000), http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/SocialSciences/ppecorino/INTRO_TEXT/Chapter%207%20Freedom/CONTENTS.htm.
Philip, An Introduction to Philosophy: An Online Textbook .
