Freewill and Determinism

Analyzing our individual free will can be very intriguing and can almost reach the point of being paradoxical. Ultimately, free will determines the level of responsibility we claim for our actions. Obviously, if outside forces determine our choices, we cannot be held responsible for our actions (i.e.: Determinism). However, if our choices are made with total freedom than certainly we must claim responsibility for our choices and actions. The two quite opposite theories on individual human freedom, determinism vs. freewill, or existentialism. In comparing these two theories the contrasts are quite outstanding.

Evidently, some philosophers felt that human beings did not really have a free will. This view defined as determinism held that certain casual law rule what occurs in the universe. There are two major forms of determinism, including hard determinism and soft determinism. Hard determinism taught that each of our actions is determined by factors beyond our control such as heredity and environment. From this point of view there can be no real

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This is because once we are in love we might modify our opinions and actions as a way to insure we don’t lose our loved one or ones. It teaches that such things determine all human actions as early childhood experiences thus relinquishing us from total responsibility for our actions caused by such determining factors. Any attempt to avoid freedom of choice would be considered “bad-faith”, or living in an inauthentic way.

To commit to such circumstances would be acting in “bad-faith”. Examples of this would be saying that we could not help ourselves, or that we are not really responsible for what we did thus placing responsibility on someone or something else. Under this banner of argument Darrow never lost a client to the death penalty if they were even convicted of the crimes against them.

“Authentic” living involves free choices that allow the individual to become their own person. This view shared that a person was not ruled by heredity or environment but was always free at any time to make his own choices. The same is true for membership in-groups and gangs.

However, if my actions were the result of my own reasoning exclusive of outside factors than I must take responsibility for my choices. Through the process of defending his clients he made it very clear to the jury that the problem with his clients did not stem from their choices. Furthermore, love automatically would put a person in “bad-faith”. Due to the denial of God, this theory held that there were no existing moral laws, thus, individuals were free to determine their own human nature through choices for which they stand accountable. Soft determinism, however, appears to combine determinism and free will. If you belong to a church, there are some moral issues you must believe in and some you should not.

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