How Does Determinism vs Free Will: Crash Course Philosophy #24 Work?

Imagine you're on a train that’s already moving, you can't stop it or change its direction, but you can pick where to sit. That's like determinism and free will.

On the train of life, determinism is like having a map that shows every turn and stop the train will make, everything is already planned out. You might think you're choosing your seat, but really, the train has always known where it was going.

But here's the fun part: even if the train has a plan, sometimes free will lets you pick a different seat or even wave to someone new. It’s like deciding to sit next to a friend instead of staying by the window, you're making your own choice, even on a planned journey.

Imagine two cookies in front of you: one is chocolate chip, and the other is sugar. If determinism is true, you’ve already decided which cookie you’ll take before you even see them. But if free will is true, you can still choose, maybe you pick the sugar cookie because it looks friendlier.

So, determinism says everything is set in stone, while free will lets us make our own choices, like picking a seat on a train or choosing which cookie to eat. Imagine you're on a train that’s already moving, you can't stop it or change its direction, but you can pick where to sit. That's like determinism and free will.

On the train of life, determinism is like having a map that shows every turn and stop the train will make, everything is already planned out. You might think you're choosing your seat, but really, the train has always known where it was going.

But here's the fun part: even if the train has a plan, sometimes free will lets you pick a different seat or even wave to someone new. It’s like deciding to sit next to a friend instead of staying by the window, you're making your own choice, even on a planned journey.