Compatibilism and Free Will

Paper Summary:

The paper specifies that, if the reader holds that certain events in life will invariably lead to certain other events but that human beings are allowed the "space" to make decisions for themselves within broad parameters, then determinism and free will are congruent. The author examines key concepts that enter into this discussion and how they "fit" together. The paper utilizes a deterministic story, which allows an array of causal accounts for each event and relates how free will conflict with this story. The paper concludes that compatibilism really can serve as an adequate philosophical theory as long as one accepts the notion of soft determinism and the idea that people can exercise their free will within certain deterministic parameters.

From the Paper:

"All that has been discussed thus far leads to the inclusion of a deterministic story that allows for an array of causal accounts for each event. In this case, a man with limited schooling loses his job; he finds himself broke and desperate; with his life crumbling, he turns to crime to sustain himself. A deterministic view would hold that the man's fate was sealed from the beginning because of his lack of education or his lack of mental acuity. Consequently, his options were limited from the start and he was compelled to make the decisions he made."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Answers Corporation, 2007a, "Determinism," Answers.com: Determinism, (online), Available at: <http://www.answers.com/topic/determinism>
• Answers Corporation, 2007b, "Dualism," Answers.com: Dualism, (online), Available at: <http://www.answers.com/topic/dualism>
• Class Four: Soft Determinism and Indeterminism, n.d., (online), Available at: <http://philosophy.tamu.edu/~sdaniel/Notes/96class4.html>
• LaFave, Sandra, 2006, "Free Will and Determinism," (online), Available at: <http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/FREE.HTM>
• Newall, Paul, 2005, "Free Will and Determinism," The Galilean Library, (online), Available at: <http://www.galilean-library.org/int13.html>

More papers on Compatibilism and Free Will:

• Essay # 59291 : "Free Will and Determinism Compromised"
• Term Paper # 119463 : "Free Will and Assumptions"
• Persuasive Essay # 133549 : "Compatibilism as a Plausible View of Free Will"

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