Luke's Blog Post

Introduction to Determinism vs. Free Will:

When most people take a step back and look at the world, considering why people do what they do in the grand scheme of things, there are two concepts that should be taken into account. Most people probably know about, and are raised in a system which supports the concept of free will. Free will is the idea that people have absolute control over their actions, and will behave the way they do regardless of internal or external factors. Demonstrating the existence of free will is similar to demonstrating the ability to see colors. It is a sense that exists within everyone, that one must bear responsibility for one’s actions. That one has control over what they do and what they think. When one raises their arm because they decided to, that should prove that free will is the one and only answer explaining  people’s behaviours. Right?

On the contrary, there is a more unsung concept that explains people’s actions. This is the concept of determinism. Determinism is the notion that there are various determinants, or rather factors that lead to a certain behavior. For example, a child who is a victim of domestic violence often grows into an abuser himself, or a child growing up in an impoverished country could possibly be indoctrinated into the military and taught to kill as a child or adolescent. Determinants (those who subscribe to determinism) believe that every situation has a cause and effect. A person that behaves the way they do is a product which results from some kind of event or a multitude of events that have happened previously in their life. The most fundamental evidence to support this concept is that we live in a deterministic world. Everything that happens in the outside world has a cause and effect. For example, if someone drops a rock, that rock will fall to the ground. Cause and effect. What makes the human brain any different?

Most corporations and systems found across the world, are run on an individualistic approach (Free Will). The idea that when someone acts in an unfavorable way, they are entirely culpable for their actions and should be punished. For example, when people perpetrate some sort of evil act they can be sentenced to prison. Prisons are founded on the idea that people are entirely culpable for their actions and should, when they commit a transgressive act, be punished. However, when one views the world in a way that people are not entirely culpable for their actions, and there are determinants that may lead someone to exhibit some sort of behavior, it may become apparent that there should be some sort of rehabilitation offered to these so called perpetrators. Medicine is viewed in this same sort of light. The difference between determinism and free will runs parallel to the difference between medicinal care and public health care. Medicine looks at curing people at an individual level, while public health looks at what factors could be affecting the population and how can people be helped on a grander scale.

Finally, this is not written to criticize people’s view on free will. It is simply written as a challenge for people to view the world in a different light, and consider the various circumstances that everyone faces. People are affected by factors in different ways, and that is something people should keep in mind. It is difficult to define either free will or determinism as absolute truths. The point to be made is, in a world that predominantly subscribes to the concept of free will, determinants, and the factors leading to choices should be taken into consideration.