Free Will And Determinism

What does the free-will-determinism debate ask?

Is our behaviour a matter of free will or are we the product of a set of internal and/or external influences that determine who we are and what we do?

What is free will?

The notion that humans can make choices and their behaviour/thoughts are not determined by biological or external forces.

What approach is free will advocated by?

The humanistic approach.

What is determinism?

The view that an individual’s behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces rather than an individual’s will to do something.

What is hard determinism?

(Sometimes referred to as fatalism), the view that all behaviour is caused by something (internal or external factors) so free will is an illusion.

What is soft determinism?

The view that behaviour may be predictable (caused by internal/external factors) but there is also room for personal choice from a limited range of possibilities (restricted free will).

What are the three types of determinism?

• Biological determinism.

• Environmental determinism.

• Psychic determinism.

What is biological determinism?

The belief that behaviour is caused by biological (genetic, hormonal, evolutionary) influences that we cannot control.

What is environmental determinism?

The belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment (such as systems of reward and punishment) that we cannot control.

What is psychic determinism?

The belief that behaviour is caused by unconscious psychodynamic conflicts that we cannot control.

What is one of the basic principles of science?

That every event in the universe has a cause and that causes can be explained using general laws (hard determinism).

Why is knowledge of causes and the formulation of laws important?

It allows scientists to predict and control events in the future.

In psychology, why is the lab experiment the ideal of science?

It enables researchers to demonstrate casual relationships.

What is the strength of free will?

• Practical value.

How is practical value a strength of free will?

The common-sense view is that we exercise free choice in our everyday lives on a daily basis. However, even if this is not the case, thinking we do exercise free choice can improve our mental health. A study by Roberts et al. looked at adolescents who had a strong belief in fatalism - that their lives were 'decided' by events outside of their control. The study found that these adolescents were at significantly greater risk of developing depression. It seems that people who exhibit an external, rather than internal, locus of control are less likely to be optimistic.

What does the practical value of free will suggest?

This suggests that, even if we do not have free will, the fact that we believe we do may have a positive impact on mind and behaviour.

What is the limitation of free will?

• Research evidence.

How is research evidence a limitation of free will?

Libet et al. instructed participants to choose a random moment to flick their wrist while he measured activity in their brain (readiness potential'). Participants had to say when they felt the conscious will to move. Libet found that the unconscious brain activity leading up to the conscious decision to move came around half a second before the participant consciously felt they had decided to move.

What does the research evidence mean for free will?

This may be interpreted as meaning that even our most basic experiences of free will are actually determined by our brain before we are aware of them (a thought that could keep you awake at night if you dwell on it.

What is the counterpoint to the research evidence of free will?

Libet's findings showing that the brain IS involved in decision-making is not surprising and is, in fact, just as we would expect. Just because the action comes before the conscious awareness of the decision to act, doesn't mean that there was no decision to act - just that the decision to act took time to reach consciousness.

What does the counterpoint to the research support suggest?

This suggests this evidence is not appropriate as a challenge to free will.

What is the limitation of determinism?

• The law.

How is the law a limitation of determinism?

The position of the legal system on responsibility; he hard determinist stance is that individual choice is not the cause of behaviour. This is not consistent with the way in which our legal system operates. In a court of law, offenders are held responsible for their actions. Indeed, the main principle of our legal system is that a defendant exercised their free will in committing the crime.

What does the law suggest about determinism?

That, in the real world, determinist arguments do not work.