Free Will and Human Agency

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the philosophical arguments about 'free will' and 'human agency,' which both focus on the capacity of human beings to act on their own. The paper looks at Marxism with regards to free will and human agency and describes the concept of alienation. The paper discusses the main classes in capitalism; the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The paper also compares free market capitalism to Marxism and contrasts their approaches to free will and human agency.

Outline:
Marxism and Free Will/ Human Agency
The Alienated Individual
The Individual and His/Her Social Class
Free Market Capitalism and Free Will/ Human Agency
Comparison of Marxism and Free Market Capitalism and Their Views on Free Will or Human Agency

From the Paper:

"A similar concept is 'human agency'. Human agency states that human beings do in fact make decisions on their own and apply them accordingly to their own situations. Whether by free will or due to some other consequences that drive human beings to act is not the question. What is important is the claim that human beings can be agents of change. They are capable of altering their own conditions. Because people are seen as decision-makers, they are now regarded as under the obligation to think and apply value judgments to the consequences of their actions. Human beings are now to be held responsible for whatever decisions they make. It must be noted that 'human agency' does not merely imply the ability of the individual, rather the capacity of a group of individuals or a collective unity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_agency)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Alienation" 2006. [online] <http://www2.pfeiffer.edu/~lridener/DSS/Marx/MARXW3.HTML>
• "Free Market" 2006. [online] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_market>
• "Human Agency". 2006. [online] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_agency>
• "Marx's Theory of Social Class and Class Structure." 1999. [online] <http://uregina.ca/~gingrich/s28f99.htm>
• O'Connor, T. 2005. "Free Will". [online] <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/freewill/>

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