Free will and determinism

I received this paper from bryan and just found it on a floppy disk. I think it will make for good reading here.


Determinism V.S. Free Will


The will of the individual is free. I believe that we have control of our actions to a certain point. We have the ability to differentiate between different ideas and make a decision based on our rationalized conclusion. We are partially free in society, we can decide on a decision, but the choices we can chose from are determined. The question lies are all things determined, some, or none?
Determinism leaves it that all things are what they are, and do what they do, because it has already been written that way and there is nothing that can be done about it. If this is true then we should all lie down and wait for the next action to come about. So then, that is to say that we all of us are only doing this because it was already determined that we would lie down and wait. So thinking has gone out the window and we have become machines, unless we do have some sort of free will.
Free Will is an idea that is based on the concept of choice, reason governs choice, and man has always had the ability of reason. Free Will is born from the ability to choose between different consequences. Determinism implies that we are incapable of reasoning and incapable of free thinking. That implies every idea, discovery, and thought was all predetermined. Nothing is original so therefore what is the use of man thinking?

Reasoning can not be explained by the brain process. We are governed by the brain but there is nothing that governs the brain. There is little evidence to build a case against free will. What governs and tells the brain what to do? The answer is free will. It is able to decide and rationalize between the pros and cons of a situation. This answers the problem that everything is casually determined, that is, that everything happens could not have happened other wise. The fact alone that man can and does choose between two or more decisions about his actions depending on the better outcome for himself or others lends us to believe that free will must exist.
Two of the main ingredients of free will are spontaneity and rationalism. We are able to assess a situation and make a rational decision. I can be hungry and decide to eat, or if I like I can starve myself, which as machines we would not be able to self destruct so I shouldn’t have that option unless I had some type of free will. I also have the choice between two different types of food, popcorn and an apple. I chose an apple. I chose between the two different types of food, but my ability to choose was determined by the fact that I was hungry. In society it is no different.
America requires that a child attend school to the age of sixteen. After that he has the option of furthering his education. He could drop out and join the work force or he could opt to further his education and get a higher paying job. Even though he does have the choice of what option to chose, more then likely he will try to further his education by finishing high school or even going on to college. Society pressures him to make this choice. He fears to make the wrong decision because of what society might think. So instead of dropping out he stays in school, and gets an education. This is just one example of free will with limitations. It is all a question of transcendence; do we believe that the categories of determinism are adequate to your total experience as a human being, especially moral and intellectual? There must be some reality or dimension to human behavior however dimly perceived.
In America we have more chances to practice free will. Our nation is based on free will. Yet even though we have one of the more free societies we still have constraints. I am free to walk down the street. Yet I have a limited choice of how to walk down the street. I can walk backwards if I choose. I could also walk sideways. There are hundreds of different ways that I could walk down the street. I could also choose to walk down the street in the nude, and if I was caught, I would be arrested.
In society we have the option to do whatever we want. Yet if it is disobedient to American laws or American society then we would suffer the consequences. So we are presented with multiple limitations. One of the biggest limitations in society is the law. If someone in society makes a wrong decision, he in turn must pay for his misconduct. These limits are decisions because it makes us fear to make the wrong decision. On the other hand being prompted by rewards we tend to make decisions that society feels are acceptable.
The best explanation of free will and how its beliefs came about would best be described by St. Augustine’s reference to God, and Adam and Eve. St. Augustine said "no righteous act could be performed except by free choice of the will, and I asserted that God gave it for this reason." Which actually means that God gave Adam and Eve free will, and Adam and Eve misused their free will, and so sin was brought into the world? Everybody after Adam and Eve have inherited this fall and have had a loss of free will but stay bonded to that will. So in the first humans free will was a condition of human hood but left open the door for sin. This is called the free-will defense.
If the will of an individual is not free then how can the individual be held morally responsible? If determinism was true then no one could be held morally responsible for one’s actions. Our actions can be changed, by what we chose. The punishment- reward system that is in place would be pointless. Yet society knows that free will does exist. That is why the punishment reward system is in place.
How free is the will of the individual? Although free will does have its limitations it does still exist. For instance we have the limitation of gravity, and gravity hinders are ability to fly. Yet that does not stop man from flying. We are limited by gravity, but because of free will we are able to overcome that limitation. The limitation of this example is gravity. Man himself can not fly, but he can create a machine that allows him to fly.
Media also affects our free will. We are bombarded by advertisements from radio, print ads, and television. It seems that we have a wide variety of products to choose from. We always chose what is most appealing to us. Media determines what we will choose yet it gives us the choice to choose. Advertisement is hardwired to appeal to every age and walk of life. It gives you so many choices yet also limits what you can choose. Things that are less advertised you will be less likely to buy.
If determinism was the constant belief of all it would almost render morality impossible. If it is true that all things are casually determined, then this must also apply to our willing and choosing. This would mean the denial of free will, and the end of morality. Why would we consider the idea of praise or blame if the person could not have done otherwise if they do not choose and act freely. This is why free will seems to many to be a condition for responsible and moral actions.
These ideas fall into the category of indeterminist who believe that all of our actions cannot be determined and that possibly the will is free of casual dermination. The determinist would say that that our wills are determined and there can be no morality, yet if morality is a fact then our wills must not be determined. And the fact is that we do all live our lives on the assumption that there is free will and that people are responsible. The determinist might claim that their position is true and all things are determined, but yet they cannot live as if it were true.
We are free in society to make decisions that affect our everyday life. Whether it is media, government, or laws we still maintain are free will yet these provide certain limitations. Yet all the decisions that we do make are all in some way effected by the society that we live in. Society contributes its input into most of our decisions. Society presents us with choices and is able to pick from the options that they present in front of us.