Free Will Flashcards
What is Free Will?
Free will is the power or capacity to choose amongalternativesor to act in certain situations independent of external influences or coercion.
Put simply, a free action is an action that is performed when you could have done otherwise but chose to perform that particular action.
What does Libertarianism/Volitionism mean?
According to free will libertarians, we dohave free will. This is because as rational beings we are able to use our rational mind to rise above our biological impulses. For example when making decisions, such as coming to school, you could have chosen to do a number of more enjoyable things.
What does Determinism mean?
This is the view that all events are DETERMINED by other PRIOR events.We can see thisin the naturalworld, it agrees withmodern scientific consensus. For example, he white ball causally determines the black ball to go into the hole.
What is Causation?
for anything that happens within the universe there is a cause of that thing which also occurred within the universe.
What are some arguments for free will?
*It feels like we have free will. It seems to make sense because we appear to be able to act any way we wish.
*There are many instances whenpeople demomstrate overcoming their baser instincts and desires, for examplepeople who give up smoking
*People do not tend to make the same decision every time in a similar situation
*If there werenofree will, could weever hold people responsible for their actions?
