Do We Have Free Will Essay

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Free will is defined as the capacity of rational agents to choose one course of action over other various alternatives. Free will is also inseparable from moral responsibility because if one has the ability to make a decision, one is to be held morally accountable for that decision. For centuries philosophers have debated whether free will is possible. Determining whether or not we have free will calls us to question the structure of nature. Do we have the power to alter the order of the world or influence events with the decisions we make? Because we have the power to choose between various courses of action, we have free will. However, free will is limited by constraints. We have free will because we have the power to make decisions based …show more content…

For example, I could try to exercise my free will by buying myself a boat, but I would be unsuccessful because I do not have enough money for a boat. Therefore, money is an example of a constraint on our free will. An example of a physical constraint on free will is my inability to jump to the moon. Although I could attempt to choose to leap to the moon, I would be unsuccessful due to my body’s inability to carry me to the moon. Therefore, there are factors outside of our control that set boundaries on our ability to make a decision, influence the world around us, and alter our path through …show more content…

If all events are caused and predetermined, there is no free will because everything that happens, including everything we choose and do, is already determined by conditions and events outside of our control. Therefore, my decisions to write this essay and stay in school were already predetermined for me, and I have no influence over the matter. We only have free will if we have an authentic choice about what actions we carry out, and we only have an authentic choice if there is more than one action we have the ability to perform. There is only one possible action for us if the world is predetermined, so free will is

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