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the debate over free will
the problem of free will
the problem of free will
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Free will is a expressive flame that should never be extinguished. Fueled by inspiration and opportunity, it burns with the spirit of prosperity. Given the right conditions, an unstoppable force of endless idea and innovation can spawn from the fire. Individuality is not a quality to be leashed. Our ideas and characteristics are not meant to be uniform. In our modern society, being different is supported. We are encouraged to explore possibilities, test our limitations, and discover to attain new knowledge about the surrounding world. Goals and dreams are ours to create and fulfill. The path of our lives is left to our own will; we decide its course and the companions for our journey. Our freedom of choice is an unappreciated privilege. Without our uniqueness, we are bodies without souls. Our identity is based on our thoughts and opinions. These thoughts and opinions keep us from all being one person with different faces. In the novel Anthem, Prometheus yearns to no longer be just a number in the world's population. To be seen as an individual with his own ideas and personality is...
so many individuals are as unique as ever, it can be disheartening to see that so many are still
What the texts suggest about the relationship between how an individual sees themselves vs how the individual is seen by others, is through the concept of identity. An individual’s identity is shaped by many factors: life experiences, memories, personality, talents, relationships and many more.
One’s life is a personal venture. From the day of birth, people set goals and
Many centuries ago, people started thinking about the question “Who we are, where did we come from, and where are we going?” While seeking for the answers, many standpoints developed. Everyone has an opinion; when confronted with life’s decisions, even on what not to do and how to best stay away from regret. Then, another question was raised: can the individual ever be higher than the universal? Lead by the famous philosopher John Stuart Mill, many people believe that all are born selfish hedonists and get shaped by the culture and environment and eventually live for the society.
The Society of Anthem is a striking instance of a dystopian society in which daily life is dominated by fear. The society is headed by a group of elders, who attempt to destroy the concept of individuality and promote the idea of collectivism. The society controls all aspects of life including roles and profession, emotions, mating and the freedom of choice. Equality 7-2521 undergoes a transformation that is contrary to the principles of Anthem’s society. In Anthem by Ayn Rand, Prometheus (formerly Equality 7-2521) should not feel guilty when he writes “why the best in me had been my sins and transgressions; and why I had never felt guilt in my sins.” because what he learned about himself over the course of the story.
In the book Anthem by Ayn Rand, Prometheus is a man who must overcome his collective society to find himself. Prometheus is born into a society where everything is equal. Without concern for consequences, he loves a woman and looks and discovers knowledge of the past. After his discovery is rejected he flees to the forest, and his lover follows. In the forest is where he finds the meaning of the word I. There is where he says "... we crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost in the gray of it," he talks about what his society did to the differences of man, after he had run away. After Prometheus finds the house he says, "My happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end," which means his happiness is special and achieving this happiness is his final goal. Lastly, "I am, I think, I will," is the final sign that Prometheus has acknowledged himself as one being. Prometheus' quotes show that his emergences from his past, longing for happiness and realizing that he is a being make Prometheus the...
There comes a point in everyone’s life when they are pressurized by society’s demands. One is given the option to either conform or challenge these social norms in order to suit one’s life.
This is a book that celebrates the individual human ego, a story of rebellion against the collective. Anthem begins written in first person plural, there is no 'I', "There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever"(Rand 19). The society the narrator lives in is one that suppresses anything that would allow an individual their own identity; first-person singular, names, and mirrors. Anthem speaks of 'I' in a holy light, deeming the word a god in and of itself, inciting the reader to feel awe towards the word. It uses biblical and religious tones to highlight the importance of first-person singular pronouns. At the same time, words with negative connotation are used with 'We' and 'Our', the first-person plural pronouns.
In today's society, people say that they want to stick out and want to be different; but do they actually want to be individualized and not conform to society? In some instances, there are those few people that do “stray from the path”, but most are too scared to be different from everyone else and face ridicule. The film Powaqqatsi by Godfrey Reggio and the book
As the social world is developed, it becomes diverse and accommodative to become for that individual to become a visionary person, be innovative, and appreciate and inculcate the virtue of being patient and passionate their goals. As they go through the social world, they get to encounter diverse individuals from different backgrounds and with diverse personalities. They learn through interactions positive qualities that will decree their future, as the saying goes, we are the run-of-the-mill of the individuals we spend most of our time with.
Individualism in today’s society is the “belief that each person is unique, special, and a ‘basic unit of nature’.” The individualism concept puts an “emphasis on individual initiative” where people act independently of others and use self-motivation to prosper. The individualists “value privacy” over community the individual thrives to move ahead in life (U S Values).
“It’s a blessed thing that in every stage in every age some one has had the individuality and courage enough to stand by his own convictions.” The part of me that sums up my identity best is not the adjectives given by family, or the faults I find in myself. My identity is my desire to better myself, and my passion for children. My identity is who I want to be and what I do to accomplish my goals My identity is the feelings and emotions I pour into my journal every day, and the way I feel when I do something right. My identity is not what others thing of me or what I think of myself after a bad day. My identity is the love and confidence I have in myslef, and the beauty inside.
Freedom, or the concept of free will seems to be an elusive theory, yet many of us believe in it implicitly. On the opposite end of the spectrum of philosophical theories regarding freedom is determinism, which poses a direct threat to human free will. If outside forces of which I have no control over influence everything I do throughout my life, I cannot say I am a free agent and the author of my own actions. Since I have neither the power to change the laws of nature, nor to change the past, I am unable to attribute freedom of choice to myself. However, understanding the meaning of free will is necessary in order to decide whether or not it exists (Orloff, 2002).
Since the foundation of philosophy, every philosopher has had some opinion on free will in some sense, from Aristotle to Kant. Free will is defined as the agent's action to do something unimpeded, with many other factors going into it Many philosophers ask the question: Do humans really have free will? Or is consciousness a myth and we have no real choice at all? Free will has many components and is fundamental in our day to day lives and it’s time to see if it is really there or not.
We feel an essential need to start to be more independent, even though we are consistently being torn between not only making our family happy, but our friends and those we casually meet in conversation as well. There is a renewed sense of creating a persona that will enable us to shape how others view us and how we feel about ourselves. We care more emphatically about not just meeting the standard of society when it comes to friends, looks, and academics, but rising above the standard. This enables us to ensure ourselves a sense of security that we may be lacking. “It’s important to remember that our self-concept isn’t formed in an instant, and neither can it change in an instant” (Lane,