Free Will and Determinism of Ayer and Holbach Essay

Reconciling the Free Will and Determinism of Ayer and Holbach In respect to the arguments of Ayer and Holbach, the dilemma of determinism and its compatibility with that of free will are found to be in question. Holbach makes a strong case for hard determinism in his System of Nature, in which he defines determinism to be a doctrine that everything and most importantly human actions are caused, and it follows that we are not free and therefore haven’t any moral responsibility in regard to our actions. For Ayer, a compatibilist believing that free will is compatible with determinism, it is the reconciliation and dissolution of the problem of determinism and moral responsibility with free willing that is argued. Ayer believes that†¦show more content†¦For example, if I should happen to walk down the street to get food, the mere action of my movement can be explained by the fact that my being hungry has caused me to walk down the street and move my legs, and to keep moving my legs at all I need food. Thus, the body is in ne ed of nourishment, and from laws of nature and laws discovered by science the body does in fact need food as a consumable source of cellular energy to promote life in a system such as the human body. It is then to be deduced that if a definite law of nature caused my acting, then I must be in accordance with scientific laws, and no other alternative except that law has to be the one that I shall act on. If this is so, one cannot do otherwise than obey the law. Thus, our freedom of will is absent due to the compelling laws of nature and their innate causal behavior. Now that Holbach has clarified this, he moves on to say something on the nature of the human mind’s will, or more specifically its acts of willing. Holbach states that the will is a modification of the brain (Holbach 462). And it is from the brain, which makes one act in accordance with certain desires or impulses that act on the brain or mind that are outside of one’s control. A stronger desire, or motive a s Holbach calls it, may suspend a former desire, so that you are in fact always acting on your strongest desire due to the fact that you want to be content or happy with your choice, and this desire determines your will. ForShow MoreRelatedDiscussion On Free Will And Determinism1332 Words   |  6 Pagesgoing to discuss and argue about free will and determinism. What is free will, and do we have it? Free will is simply the power to act with no constraint, in other words, to act freely with no one holding us down. The controversial argument of this topic is if we have free will or not. According to physical determinism, â€Å"If our brain is in a certain state, then our next move is determined. Therefore, we do not have free will† (Holbach). According to others, we do have free will. In my paper, I will talkRead More The Problem of Evil Disproved by the Free Will Defense Essay1059 Words   |  5 PagesThe Problem of Evil Disproved by the Free Will Defense The Problem of Evil states that because evil exists the existence of a tri-omni being, which we typically refer to as God, is impossible. This argument, if proved to be true, would refute the Cosmological Argument for God’s Existence. The Cosmological Argument states that not every being can be a dependent being without infinite regress (which is believed to be impossible), so there exists a tri-omni self dependent being knownRead MoreEssay on Soft Determinism1435 Words   |  6 PagesSoft Determinism Do I have free will, or is every action I make predetermined? This question has concerned me for a long while. It has been the topic of many family dinner conversations, a topic of research, and a question in many prayers. I believe that this question concerns many people, since finding an answer has been the source of much literature, thinking, and religion. I have, after much thought, arrived at the conclusion of Soft Determinism - the Principle of Universal Causality, thatRead MoreThe Powers Of Rational Being : Freedom Of The Will1922 Words   |  8 Pagescontrol. â€Å"Free will† can only exist if a person truly has the choice between multiple possible options; however, as hard determinists claim, every choice is fixed to only one possible outcome based on any number of existing outside factors. While libertarians believe in the concept of free will and choices based entirely on personal deliberation, compatibilists assert that the state of the world does potentially offe r multiple outcomes, and so free will is possible alongside determinism. Peter van