Problem of free will - Essay Example

Determinism poses some threats to the concept of free will. The first threat is the ability to choose between alternatives. Acting with free will requires the possibility of alternatives but determinism argues that there is only one possible outcome to an event based on interceding events. The second threat concerns control in shaping events. Free will requires control of an individual’s events through choices. Determinism, on the other hand, holds that past events and the laws of nature provide a casual correlation to the events of an individual and therefore lack control over the events.

The problem of free will is to reconcile determinism with free will in a state of with cause and effects where events have a casual chain. To settle this problem, it is necessary to reject some concepts or demonstrate that all the concepts of free will and determinism are consistent (Rauhut 2010). Now that we have established the problem of free will, I will argue that we must reject the concept that free will is not compatible with determinism and endorse compatibilism. This argument will demonstrate that there is a deterministic connection between and individual’s actions and will.

This connection enables one to take responsibility for actions such as taking blame or credit. An individual who is free from coercion possess the freedom of action, which is identifiable with free will. This view recognizes the casual chain of events, which relate back to an indefinite time and consistent with the laws of nature and with the design of an omniscient God. Because will is included in the chain of events, individuals have free will. Accordingly, people choose according to their greatest desire, which is guided by their moral nature.

In essence, this means that individuals are free to choose but these choices are determined by the condition of the mind and heart. Compatabilism maintains that if there is the choice of