Freedom and Mechanistic Determinism

Dr. Ajita Yadav

Department of Philosophy, University of Lucknow, Lucknow

Abstract

Humans have free will, or are all of our acts predetermined? This is the central question in the freedom vs. determinism argument. In contrast to free will, which holds that people can make decisions without the help of outside forces, determinism holds that all events, including human behavior, are causally determined by earlier events. Philosophers, academics, and thinkers have been fascinated by the basic ideas of freedom and determinism for ages. Discussions about morality, human agency, and the nature of reality itself are based on these concepts.Determinism and freedom are very different. Freedom enables people to act democratically, yet determinism highlights the fact that decisions have predictable outcomes. On the other hand, although humans are not subject to various types of coercion, dictation, or subordination, their freedom is restricted to morally and legally acceptable behavior. There is no such thing as express freedom in the world as the state decides what is morally right and what is lawful. Different countries, societies, and states have different rights and wrongs, which makes it clear that a state has the freedom to make its own decisions. Determinism maintains that an individual determines the course of an event by the acts they conduct and that consequences are susceptible to actions and freedom allows people to enjoy their freedom and do what they think is right, while determinism shows that acts have consequences that are directly proportional to their magnitude.

Keywords: Determinism, Free-will, freedom, Morality