Free will vs Determinism

Free will Definition

Each person has the freedom to control what he/she thinks or does. In a sense the person determines, through free choice, his or her thoughts and behaviour

Free will Strengths

* We like to believe that our decisions indicate free choice
* Makes individuals responsible for their own behaviour

Free will Weaknesses

* Difficult to define what free will is and what the ‘choosing self’ consists of - we just be unaware of the forces controlling our behaviour
* Evidence to support free will is generally subjective
* Cannot be tested scientifically

Determinism Definition

All human thought and behaviour is determined by forces outside a person’s individual control.

Deterministic arguments claim that we do not have much control/choice over our actions and claims they are instead controlled by factors such as our Biology (Physiological) or social context (Social), or by out upbringing (Behaviourism) etc.

Determinism Strengths

* Easy to support e.g. studies of mental health disorders and how they can be treated using drugs and therapy etc.
* Future predictions about behaviour can be made is a cause is identified
* Sciences are deterministic

Determinism Weaknesses

* Responsibility for behaviour removed
* Humans do not always act involuntarily - they have some control
* Can never be a complete prediction - role of free will?
* De-humanising - humans seen as machines