Free Will Debate

There are two different sides to the free will debate. In this case, we will look at libertarianism and hard determinism. Libertarianism proposes the idea that humans have spontaneous free will in which they can control their actions and even change the course of their lives. It also states that some of our actions are produced by external causes. The other debate is hard determinism, which proposes that humans do not have any free will or moral responsibility; and our actions are affected by earlier psychological and physical events.

While either side of the debate could be true, the most plausible explanation to the free will debate is libertarianism. Humans are not mindless beings with preprogrammed ideas in our heads. We are always creating, thinking and discovering new things. We are spontaneous and intelligent beings with different thought processes and understandings of the world. Our mind controls our own body. Even simple actions such as moving your arm or dancing are conscious decisions. You have the ability to stop yourself at any moment or continue on with what you are doing. Some of the only actions that people cannot control are things like bodily reflexes. If a doctor hits your knee with a neuroflex hammer, your leg will kick. This is an action produced by an external stimulus. But other than that, only you can change and control the outcome of your life. You are never forced to do anything that you don’t want to do. For example, even if your parents want you to major in one thing or go to a certain college, you always have the option to go against their wishes and do what makes you happy. You always have the power to decide for yourself. You cannot do anything bad or evil without your own consent. The people who do bad things like murder or robbery are responsible for their own actions. They decided with conscious effort that they were going to hurt others and no one else is responsible but them.

Explanatory breadth- Libertarianism has the most explanatory breadth. It can explain more readily why humans act the way they do. Libertarianism can explain with multiple examples why people are good or evil and it also explains why even though we have control of our lives, there are certain things we cannot control like our involuntary reflexes. Determinism can barely explain why people act the way they do. They can say that humans act the way they do because they have no control of their actions, but it doesn’t explain how people can make quick last minute decisions such as stepping on a break while driving. It also doesn’t explain why people can say whatever they want. If we truly didn’t have any free will we wouldn’t be able to control what comes out of our mouths. However, humans do have the ability to choose what to say, write or think.

Explanatory Depth- Hard determinism definitely has the most explanatory depth. While libertarianism can only explain the cause of our action through free will, hard determinism can explain that our actions come from different psychological or physical events. Psychological or physical events that affect how a person acts could be a variety of different things. Determinists could explain with greater detail how someone acts the way they do through psychological analysis and understanding of how the mind works. Someone could be evil or mean with no control because of past traumas or chemical imbalances within the brain. Someone could also be explained as being good because they were raised in a good home or are just predisposed to being a good person.

Simplicity-  Hard determinism is the more simplistic idea. While libertarianism has to explain different things like spontaneous and/ or involuntary actions, hard determinism assumes less. It explains in a simpler, less complex way that people act the way they do because of exposure to different experiences throughout their lifetime. Spontaneity and other ideas of libertarianism are harder and more complex to explain.

Conservatism- Libertarianism is definitely the most conservative idea. It corresponds more readily with the beliefs of today’s society. People are naturally stubborn. We do not like to admit that we can be controlled or influenced by outside sources. We like to believe that we are strong-minded beings who are completely in control of our actions. Libertarianism explains how and why we are in control of our actions and therefore people will more readily accept this idea over hard determinism.

1.  Libertarianism and hard determinism are the most plausible explanations of free will.
2.   Libertarianism has much more explanatory breadth and conservatism whereas determinism has a little bit more explanatory depth and simplicity.
3. Therefore, libertarianism is the best explanation of free will