The great debate between free will and determinism is one that cannot be answered easily although ideas and beliefs are suggested supporting each side. The idea for determinism is that everything that happens in the world is a result of something else, controlled by someone other than yourself, such as a higher power. If this idea is true then human beings would possess no true free will. This idea is very hard to grasp because of how deep the question being asked is and the issue of religion playing its part. It is crazy to think that everything that we do is predetermined and we have no control over it. It is also weird to think of freedom as an illusion. I do not believe in this claim because I feel as though I have choices of what I do with my life and I can control what I do. My religion and God guides me to make these choices. I also believe that nature does have an impact on who we are, and if determinism was so, it would rule out the possibility of nature affecting how we end up. In turn we would be puppets " dancing on the strings of our genes", having everything in life predetermined for us. So who wins the battle, free will or determinism?
Sources:
1) http://reportfromthefuture.blogspot.com/2010/12/democracy-vs-determinism.html
2) http://www.thegreatdebate.org.uk/determinismandfreewill.html
Just like the issue of nature or nurture for human behavior, it is hard to judge which side is totally influential. It is not right to take a look which side is right or wrong. Therefore, the both ideas of human freewill and determinism are important to understand human behavior.
It would be sad if the performances or actions were all under-controlled by something that is not self. However, things really happen although an individual did not intend.
For case of judging the crime, it is important to determine does the suspect committed crime along with his or her own will. Once the evidences are pointing that it had been committed by free will, the perpetrator with no doubt to be convicted. However, it really happens without their will. That's what we called mentally ill. It is not be able for such people to convert ideas into action as the most people normally do.
I am a religious guy, I'm not ashamed tosay it.
Yeah I believe in a higher power.
No I don't believe that our lives are predetermined.
From a religious standpoint, what would be the logic of given us life, only to follow one line for 80 years, die and go to Heaven. If God had intended on everybody going to Heaven, why even give us life? Why not just make us into angels? The point of life, in the Christian sense, is to make it into Heaven...but if our lives are predetermined, than why try??? Then that poses the question, why would someone be predetermined to rot in Hell? (pardon my French)
Personally, I'm a fan of having a freewill. It's not that I'm scared of not being in control, but because I see to many flaws with our lives being laid out in a permanent, single way.
Life has twists and turns, curveballs are going to knock us down...how WE REACT to those situations is what defines us...not what we are "suppose to do".
I believe that life has a combination of free will and determinism. Being brought up a religious person, I think that there is a plan for everyone in life. That being said, I also believe that it is our job to go and fulfill our destiny. A higher power can show us the door, but human beings are the ones who need to walk through it.
I also think that our "destinies" are not as specific as we may think. Our destiny is set up more like gaurd rails then it is a fixed point on a map. We are allowed to freely travel within these boundaries but in the end we will end up somewhere we should be. All in all, it is on us as humans to pursue our destiny and make things happen for ourselves.
I find your point that "Freedom is an illusion", very interesting. The picture that you have posted aptly represents this idea. What I like most about your argument is how you establish a middle ground between the two concepts free will and determinism. You aptly state that we can control our lives through the choices that we make but that in these decisions we are guided by a higher power, religion usually playing a role. And I am intrigued by your belief that our genes don't predetermine our lives for us, our natural environment also has a significant effect on who we are and what we become; and it provides us with different choices in our lives and not just one path to take. Reading your blog made me think of how numerous various possibilities are in our lives!
I find your point that "Freedom is an illusion", very interesting. The picture that you have posted aptly represents this idea. What I like most about your argument is how you establish a middle ground between the two concepts, free will and determinism. You aptly state that we can control our lives through the choices that we make but that in these decisions we are guided by a higher power, religion usually playing a role. I am intrigued by your belief that our genes don't predetermine our lives for us, but that our natural environment also has a significant effect on who we are and what we become; and it provides us with different choices in our lives and not just one path to take. Reading your blog made me think of how numerous various possibilities are in our lives!