The concept of free will in philosophy has different views that explain decision-making process. This essay seeks to give a general understanding of different issues of free will in general. It supports one particular view and explains it. It also gives a critical analysis of this issue with the reasons why the writer supports the view.Free will in philosophy refers to the ability to make different choices without any constraining factors. There are different constraints that can challenge an agent from having free will. These include social constraints such as threats of censure or punishment. There are also physical constrains such as imprisonment and pain. Constraints can also be metaphysical such as theological or logical determinism. A rational agent has the choice between different alternatives and uses different views. Modern philosophers along with the experts from https://perfectessaysonline.com/ point out that there is a close connection between free will and moral responsibility. This is because one's metaphysical setup pushes one to have responsibility for one's actions. However, this is not so in the cases of where one is unaware of their choices and moral responsibility is not necessary. An analysis of different views of free will is important.Issues of Free WillHard determinism points out that all our actions are determined causally. This means that people do not act freely at any time. Therefore, one cannot be morally responsible for their actions. Hard determinists point out that each action is a result of another. For example, if a person finds himself locked in a room and does not know this, he may decide to remain in the room and believe that he has chosen this freely. However, this is not the case since the room is already locked and the man thinks that he is free. Hard determinists also say that if a doctor does not know the cause of some symptoms, it doesn't mean that they do not exist.. Hence, there are causes for all actions whether we know them or not. I do not fully agree with hard determinists because they say that we do not have a choice, and thus not responsible for our actions.Compatibilism, also known as soft determinism, state that all human actions are predetermined. This means that there are either internal or external determinants of all actions. For example, one may decide to fast while another person is denied food. Both of the actions are determined, with the former being internal and the latter external. Soft determinists agree that people do are not morally responsible for actions they do without premeditation or due to ignorance. Rather, we should only judge the moral responsibility of and individual from their character. For example, one can go from one country where the certain rules existed and apply the same rules in another place as long as they do not know about the rules. I disagree with self determinism because it leaves loopholes in decision making. One can perform certain actions with claims of compatibility between determinism and free will.Libertarianism state that there are causes to different actions but they do not have the influence on the choices of human actions. Libertarians state that a thief may be inclined to go ahead and steal but this does not mean that he does not have a choice not to steal. Libertarianism distinguishes human action with the personality of the person and his moral self. For example, a young person in the ghetto has a high likeliness of becoming a gangster. This is because of the person's interests. However, the person also has a moral self that may influence him more than the desire to pursue his interests and he ends up becoming a policeman. Libertarians believe that past arguments about certain past phenomena does not always apply in the future. For example, one may determine a person's past performance and decide that the person will perform similarly in the future. Libertarians suggest that this is not necessarily the case. There are necessary truths such as one is a man or woman. On the other hand, there are contingent truths that apply only at the moment such as a day's weather. Future actions are unpredictable and we cannot necessarily use the past for prediction. Hence, people's actions are not determined and a person can act differently in different circumstances.I support libertarianism because it gives a clear relationship between free will and human action. Libertarianism creates the foundation of democracy in the contemporary society. This is because human coexistence is based on responsibility for one's actions and personal freedom. 'Liber' is a Latin word whose English translation is 'Liberal.' Thus, I associate libertarianism with liberalism. This is not in the political manner that the word is applied in the US to mean the welfare system of an expansive government. Rather, it is the philosophical view of free will where people live their lives guided by common good. Libertarianism does not give a leeway for living one's life in the best way as individuals at the expense of other members of the society. It is rather a view of free will that advocates for moral responsibility of one's actions and absorbing the consequences for the actions. Libertarianism recognizes the existence of human freedom and its influence on human choice. As a libertarian, I act according to free will with logical evaluation of the consequences of each action. This assists in determining the right choices. I do not assume that all actions are determined and always consult my moral self as well as personal interests. I have made decisions in school about different situations basing my arguments on libertarianism. It has given me an insight on decision-making and especially knowing why different people act differently in similar situations.Libertarianism in both liberal and classical applications assists individuals in maintaining their well-being and prosperity. It allows creation and maintenance of social harmony with as little government involvement as necessary and at the same time increasing liberty to the maximum. The libertarian thinks in terms of the best possible ideas and the necessary ones with considerations for implications for each choice made. As a student, libertarianism has become a vital guideline to decision-making. One does not make decisions with the only justification being that the action was determined. Rather, one must consider each action carefully. It also discourages blind predictions based only on the past occurrences. One must examine the action in question to come up with the most likely outcomes. One does not attribute occurrences on mere coincidence. These are the main reasons why I am a libertarian.
