The Copatibilist Theory Of Free Will

When given the question “do you believe we have free will?” majority of us would believe that yes, we do. Free will is one of the most difficult philosophical ideas we are currently evaluating. Any one who provides an opinion should be mindful that they could possibly be wrong. I myself will take a standpoint with the compatibilist position, though it will be challenged by the non-compatibilist viewpoint. The compatibilist theory is that, the actions we devise can be both free and determined at the same given time. Most people who are unfamiliar with philosophical literature, are probably wondering how this is so, without being a contradiction. The key is to learn the distinction between the two and to understand how some actions are free

If by some way we were disconnected from the network of cause an effect, our action would become random and chaotic. With that being said, let’s illustrate what life would be like without the laws of cause an effect. Imagine a man waiting at a crosswalk, who suddenly takes his shirt and swan dives into the street. This is a prime example of what it takes for an action to be uncaused. Rachael states that “free actions are not random and chaotic. They are orderly and thoughtful.”(483) He also mentions, in order to have free will, determinism is a necessity. (483) Free and rational actions are attainable due to a person’s disposition and desires, which pilot us. With that being the case, if we lived in a casually determined world, wouldn’t people’s actions become predictable? Obviously people are going to have at least some predictability to them. Especially if we know someone well enough, we can indicate what kind of choices they will make. For example, I have a friend who plays a lot of video games. I have surveyed his gaming habit for awhile, and learned the particular game type he likes. There happens to be a sequel to a game of that category of which he likes, coming out the same day another high ranking games comes out. Though, he has only enough for one game. Which leaves me to reasonably believe, that he will pick the sequel to the game he currently owns due to the evidence I’ve

It is possible that we are just mindless (robots), who are just given the illusion of free will. Our lives can even be predestined the day we were given life on this earth. There are so many questions left un answered we can’t ever possibly know exactly. Though in my opinion it is more probable, that we are living a caused and determined