free will vs determinism

• free will

  • the idea that we have choices in how we act
  • free will separates out what is the intention of an individual from what has been created by other cayses
  • this means we are ''self determining'' and free from the casual influences of the past
• definitions of free will

  choice:

  • genuine choice in behaviour
  • untestable = not able to detect existing causes

  behaviour is unconstrained:

  • behaviour is often predicatable, so can't say behaviour is random - there are usually causes
  • seeing behaviour an unconstrained means these causes dont have to be adhered to

  voluntary behaviour:

  • behaviour over which we have control
• determinism

  • claims all behaviour is determined and therefore predictable
  • the source of this behaviour could be from outside (such as how we're treated) - known as 'environmental determinism' or the behaviour that comes from us internally (such as our genes or physical capability) - known as 'biological determinism
• defining determinism

  • comes in a range of forms, depending on what's seen as determining behaviour
  • eg. behaviourism, psychodynamic, evolutionary psychology
  • determinism means all behaviour has theoretically identifiable causes, and in the extreme that all future behaviour is predictable
  • fits classical science, though modern physics disputes hard determinism
• soft determinism

  • a compromised position
  • behaviour is seen as determined to an extent, but in the absence of compulsion, people have a degree of choice
  • there is ultimately a casual explanation, but we may not have access to it, so it's irrelevant
  • the question then becomes ''How much is determined?''
  • different scientific approaches disagree about how much is determined