Overview

If the universe is just atoms bumping into atoms, and your brain is made of atoms, then your thoughts are just physics. Physics follows laws. So, was your decision to read this sentence determined at the Big Bang? If so, can I blame you if you commit a crime?

Core Idea

Determinism: Every event has a cause. Given the past and the laws of physics, the future is fixed. Compatibilism: Free will is compatible with determinism. You are free if you do what you want to do, even if your wants are determined by your brain/genes/environment.

Formal Definition (if applicable)

Libertarian Free Will: The view that determinism is false and we have “magical” power to choose otherwise. (Not to be confused with political libertarianism).

Intuition

  • Hard Determinism: No free will. We are biological robots. Punishment is just for deterrence, not desert.
  • Moral Luck: Two drunk drivers. One hits a tree; the other hits a child. We punish them differently, but their actions were the same. Is that fair?

Examples

  • Neuroscience: Libet’s experiments suggest your brain decides before “you” are aware of it.
  • Addiction: Is an addict free to stop?
  • Insanity Defense: We don’t punish people who can’t control themselves.

Common Misconceptions

  • “Determinism = Fatalism.” (Fatalism says the outcome is fixed no matter what you do. Determinism says what you do matters, but what you do is determined.)
  • “Quantum mechanics saves free will.” (Randomness isn’t freedom. A dice roll in your head isn’t a choice.)
  • Agency: The capacity to act.
  • Reactive Attitudes: Resentment, gratitude, guilt (Strawson).
  • Ultimate Responsibility: The idea that you must be the “uncaused cause” of your actions.

Applications

  • Criminal Justice: Rehabilitation vs. Retribution.
  • Religion: Predestination vs. Free Will.
  • AI: Can a robot be responsible?

Criticism / Limitations

The debate feels endless. Maybe “free will” is a bad concept.

Further Reading

  • Dennett, Elbow Room
  • Harris, Free Will