Free Will Debate

Sarah Costa

The free will debate is as a disagreement about the cause of human actions, and whether or not humans have the freedom to make decisions that are not determined by prior causes or by Godly intervention. Libertarianists argue that humans have free will. They believe that people have the power to control some of their own actions, but also that some actions are predetermined by external forces. We can alter our path in life with our own choices that affect our life. On the other hand, hard determinists argue that human beings do not have free will or the ability to control their own choices or actions. They believe that our actions and decisions are caused by earlier events, such as the family we grow up in or where in the world we live. They feel our path in life is predetermined by these forces and influences, and we follow that course.

I side with libertarianism as the most plausible explanation for the free will debate because I feel that people can make choices to change the course they follow in life, but I also do believe that there are certain actions that are predetermined. Looking at the history of human's rights in America, we can see that women made the choice to defy the regulations that were set against them in terms of equality, such as through voting and property rights. These laws to keep women from having the right to vote, or to own their own property after marriage, were set upon by society. If it were true, as hard determinists claim, that all of our choices and actions were predetermined by external forces, such as society and where we live, then women never would have rebelled. Women showed free will by making their own choice to defy the standards and fight against the norm of society to get the equality rights that they wanted and deserved. This same example of defying society in order to achieve certain rights that people felt that should have, could be applied to many different situations in history, such as the African American Civil Rights Movement and the equal rights of immigrants. People are very willing to fight against the society and where they live in order to acquire a right that they feel they deserve, which shows that humans do have the free will to control and change their actions and choices.

Libertarianism has more explanatory breadth because it explains more types of human behavior than determinism does. Libertarianism explains two different ways of the cause of human actions. It explains how humans have free will, and have the ability to control and change their actions, but it also explains how certain things are also predetermined. Libertarianism shows how people can make decisions that they feel strongly about based off their emotions or something they believe in and feel strongly about, which changes their course of life. Determinism only has one way of explaining human behavior which is that all of our actions are determined by earlier events or external forces, such as society. It only has one way of explaining human behavior, whereas libertarianism has two and can explain a larger span of behaviors such as how people can rebel against society to fight for things they believe in. If our actions were determined by society like determinism states, we wouldn't be able to fight against it to fight for equality or any other human rights.

Determinism has more explanatory depth because it explains the causes of human behavior better than libertarian does. Determinism can explain why people end becoming the people they are when they are older. Because our environment and the society in which we grow up in can shape us so much into the person we become, it supports determinism which says that all of our actions are predetermined by external forces, such as society. This can explain why people who grow up in affluent families can grow up and have a prosperous family and home of their own, or why someone who grows up in a dangerous city can grow up to be a member of a gang, or a murderer. According to libertarianism, we have free will and can make our own choices, which does not support why people would become they way they do based on where they grow up. With libertarianism, free will would allow people to choose their actions which would affect who they become, not like determinism which shows how our environment shapes our path of life and not our choices.

Because determinism only has one way of explaining human behavior, which is that our choices are predetermined based on earlier events or external forces, it has much more simplicity than libertarianism which has two ways of explaining human behavior, free will and predetermined actions. Determinism having just one explanation leaves less room to conceal error because it is easier to explain people's actions, whereas libertarianism is more complex which would leave room for errors.

Libertarianism is more conservative because it is much more consistent with our current beliefs than determinism is. Many people believe that they are in control of themselves and their life, and that they can make their own choices in order to achieve what they want in life. People feel that they can determine their path in life based on the actions that they take. For example, people choose to go to college in order to achieve a career that they want to do.

1. Libertarianism and determinism are the most plausible explanations the ultimate cause of human behavior.
2. Libertarianism has much more explanatory breadth and conservatism, whereas determinism has a little more explanatory depth and simplicity.
3. Therefore, libertarianism is the best explanation of the ultimate cause of human behavior.