free will determinism

• free will is the notion that all humans can make their own choices and that their thoughts and behaviour are not determined by internal and external forces
• determinism is the view that individuals behaviour is shaped by internal and external forces
• hard determinism view that behaviour is caused by internal and external forces therefore free will is an illusion
• soft determinism is the view that behaviour may be predictable caused by internal and external forces but limited free will and personal choice
• biological determinism is the view that behaviour is caused by biological and evolutionary influences that we cannot control
• environmental determinism is the belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment such as systems of reward and punishment through conditioning
• psychic determinism is the belief that behaviour is caused by unconcious psychodynamic conflict that we are unable to control
• every event in the universe has a cause and can be explained by general laws and these allow scientists to control and predict events in the future
• -determinism is the position of the legal system on responsibility. hard determinist stance is that an individual choice isnt the cause of behaviour which isnt consistent with the way that the legal system works. in the court of law the offender is held responsible as they exercised free will to commit the crime. suggest real world determinist arguments dont work
• free will practical value. common sense is the view that we exercise free will daily. but even if it is the case thinking we have free choice can improve mental health. roberts 2000 looked at adolescents that had fatalist views anf found greater risk of developing depression. suggests even if we dont have free will the fact we believe in it improves the mind
• -free will brsain scan evidence doesnt support it but supports determinism. libert 1983 instructed pps to choose when to flick wrist while he measured activity for readiness potential. pps said had concious will, but found conciousness occured 0.5 sec before. maybe basic experiences of free will is determined by the brain