Question: Free Will vs. Determinism
This weekend I watched The Adjustment Bureau (I really liked) and read Across the Universe by Beth Revis (I really liked). Both stories dealt with the idea of free will. This is a topic I LOVE to think about. (Diyari Chronicles deals with this idea of free will).
I subscribe to the capatibilism viewpoint (see chart below). I think that each of us has a purpose. I was given certain talents and skills to impact people in a certain way; thus, bringing about a specific outcome. However, how I choose to use my talents is up to me. For instance, I am a good listener and communicator (I think. I hope.) I went to school for journalism and psychology. Both areas use those skills. However, I could have been a beautician or a school teacher. I made choices. Those choices enable me to become the person I was designed to be. I will impact people in ways that only I can do with MY set of skills. And that influence will have a ripple effect, bringing about a determined end.
Now, some will say, “So…you have a druggie that dies of an overdose. That’s their purpose? To die of an overdose?” My answer: that person was given a set of skills and talents; they used those skills to score drugs. Their death will impact someone, will alter someone’s attitude, ideas, feelings, thoughts…and THAT will ripple out to a determined end.
That being said, I can’t PROVE my viewpoint is right. In fact, I don’t even want this to be about right or wrong. This idea of free will vs. determinism has been a topic of philosophical discussion for . . . well, since man was capable of logic and reason. Everyone has an opinion on this topic, an opinion that guides choices. I would even say, that our thoughts about this topic shape how we construct our characters, the fears we have them face, and the outcome of those confrontations.
Where do you fit?
