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Free-Will Vs Determinism

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Free-Will Vs Determinism
The debate between free will vs determinism is important because it reflects on actions and intentions of humans, but free will brings up strong valid points supported by evidence. Free will can be simplified as a human does what they ultimately and truly want in their mind, through their own beliefs and character. Determinism is about having strong influences in an environment, that the decisions of individuals reflect off their unconscious mind. Determinism can influence decisions, but the final decision and action is up to the individual. Through past experiences a person can learn and be influenced by everything in their surroundings, but it does not force a person to make a decision based on their past. I do not believe that anything is …show more content…
For one, free will can be attacked on based on morals. In the popular “Milgram Experiment” Gary Larson explains that subjects were tricked into thinking they were hurting another being at the push of a button. (Larson 3) Now one could say that free will is determining if the person dealing the pain was deciding based on their own will, but emotions and character play a huge role in this experiment. Different factors go into the experiment, like depending on the facial reaction of the people due to the shocks. The influences and the way a person was brought up in the world may alter if they would continue or stop sooner or later, all based on one’s background. Determinism can also be argued and be proven wrong due to fatalism. According to Hugh Rice of Stanford University, fatalism is the belief that everything is predetermined, and that change is inevitable. (Rice, 1) Bringing back the rape case, if change is inevitable then how can we send someone to prison over something they have no control over. If a person were to rape a child as an example, fatalism is stating that it was pre determined, and the rapist’s upbringing caused their actions. If the rape was already set in stone and was bound to happen, how can we blame the rapist, do we set them free, or put them in jail for something they were going to do anyway? Free will and determinism are both complex subjects that share both relatable and different aspects. I think people should take responsibility and believe in free will. You don’t have to do something you don’t want to, it’s always up to the individual in the end. Nothing is set in stone to me, until it becomes the past and already happened, through will over false

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