Free Will vs Determinism

Question 1

What is free will?

Answer 1

• All human behaviour is affected by our subjective experience and individual choices
• human behaviour is self-determined
• humans are accountable for their own actions

Question 2

What is determinism?

Answer 2

There are 4 types of determinism: scientific, biological, environmental and psychic

Question 3

What is scientific determinism?

Answer 3

• all human behaviour has a cause and effect
• behaviour is scientifically determined
• no free will

Question 4

What is biological determinism?

Answer 4

• all human behaviour is caused by internal bodily activity
• behaviour is biologically determined
• no free will

Question 5

What is environmental determinism?

Answer 5

• all human behaviour is caused by external environmental experiences
• we are born as a blank slate
• no free will

Question 6

What is psychic determinism?

Answer 6

• all human behaviour is caused by unconscious instincts, drives and unresolved conflicts from childhood
• no free will

Question 7

AO3: immoral behaviour

Answer 7

• Determinism can provide an excuse for immoral behaviour
• Stephen Mobley claimed he was ‘born to kill’
• Hard determinism may be undesirable in a real life setting as it may lead to issues of criminal responsibility

Question 8

AO3: free will is an illusion

Answer 8

• free will is an illusion and a culturally relative concept
• Skinner claimed that free will is an illusion as our choices are actually determined by our previous reinforcement history
• the idea of self-determination may only be relevant in individualistic societies
• free will is a product of socialisation and is not universal

Question 9

AO3: refuting research evidence

Answer 9

• research that challenges the role of free will come from the area of cognitive neuroscience
• this is when an issue or debate is criticised by strong or convincing evidence

Question 10

AO3: interactionist approach

Answer 10

• an interactionist approach would give the best explanation of behaviour
• this is when both sides of the debate is most appropriate for explaining behaviour and they both contribute to it
• this is because an individuals behaviour could be best explained by both their free will but also by taking into account the environmental events which may have affected these