The Debate Over The Existence Of Free Will - 1228 Words

The debate over the existence of free will is possibly one of the most important discussions of human nature. Insight into this debate holds vast ethical, legal and political implications. In my experience, those who are not familiar with the topic often conflate free will for consciousness, and impetuously accept the existence of free will. Free will is defined as the freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior physical causes. Those who believe in free will thus ascribe a metaphysical contribution to behaviour (e.g., a soul) as they believe prior physical causes do not entirely account for behavior. The debate over free will has led to two, polar-opposite philosophical schools of thought: determinism and†¦show more content†¦Are there any you can think of that don’t fall into either of those categories? I argue that there aren’t. You might be thinking about ways to disprove my assertion as we speak. In fact, you may be saying to yoursel f, â€Å"I can choose to spontaneously eat an entire bag of chips! And this spontaneous decision is not constrained by biological or environmental factors. It’s a decision that is not dictated by prior physical causes can be attributed to my free will!† But to that I say†¦ Chocolate milk. That’s right, you read correctly. What just went through your head? Chocolate milk right? Was it your free choice or an environmental variable (i.e., the text in this article) that caused the resulting thought? Now extend this idea to the bag of chips: if you hadn’t had prior environmental exposure to this sodium-filled goodness, eaten it and felt the subsequent activation of the mesolimbic reward system of the brain, this thought would never have occurred to you! The above example illustrates two important concepts. Firstly, it highlights the fact that you can’t spontaneously generate knowledge - it has to come from prior experience. Have you ever spontaneously generated the knowledge for a midterm you didn’t study for? Of course not! Secondly, it alludes to the cross-talk biology has with the environment. Most of us find this lardy, sodium-filled substance extremely satisfying, and this appeal is dictated by our brain chemistry. You’re probably frustrated by now.