Determinism, Free Will, & Compatibilism

The theory that resonates most with my personal beliefs is compatibilism.  Several different aspects of determinism made sense to me, yet free will is something I’ve always believed in, as we make our decisions based on our own opinions in accordance with the past and our individual environments.

I see the sense behind biological and cosmological determinism; however, they don’t fully align with my understanding.  Biological determinism seems too intricate in its control over decisions, not allowing for outside circumstances to influence our decisions or behavior.  Cosmological determinism, on the other end of the spectrum, seems very broad.  Natural disasters obviously have massive influence on many lives, but only rarely does it affect one’s choices throughout their entire life.  However, I see the logic behind it.  Major catastrophes and our own genetics change our lives to a certain extent.  However, this changes from person to person, and I believe our free will affects how each of us may handle these circumstances.

I strongly relate to the Newtonian and cultural forms of determinism, mostly because they seem free will related to me.  Newtonian determinism allows for multiple branches and different potential decisions to be made.  Cultural determinism is more of a choice to assimilate to or rebel against our culture or family.  These two forms of determinism seem to be more like influencers of free will than pre-determined choices.

Of the different forms of determinism, I most agree with theological determinism.  I’ve always believed that God orchestrates His plan in our lives and that “everything happens for a purpose,” just as the article explained.  However, I disagree with the idea of God as a micromanager.  The belief that He controls or punishes every insignificant detail of our lives seems a little Puritan-esque in my opinion.

Free will, on the other hand, is a concept that makes perfect sense to me.  As humans, we are responsible for our own decisions and have the freedom to make them.  My only arguing belief is that God gave us this ability, and has a plan for us, and if we stray He can still use our choices for His purpose.

Because of my opinion that both free will and determinism can exist without cancelling each other out, as the article described it, I would consider myself a compatibilist.  The two concepts are not mutually exclusive, which is why incompatibilism makes no sense to me.  I think that some choices we make may be pre-determined, but our free will is a major factor in our lives.  Like in the poker example, the situations we’re born into are the hand we are dealt.  It’s not something we can change.  The way that we decide to play our hand is our free will.  Compatibilism seems the most sensible.  However, its weaknesses include every individual’s differing opinion.  Our own beliefs on free will versus determinism play a large role in the choices we make.  There’s also the debate on the availability of free action, and under what circumstances we must be held morally responsible for said actions.  However, based on my own life experiences, it makes the most sense to me that both determinism and free will play a large part in my life.