Free will is like being the captain of a ship, you get to decide where to go. But sometimes, it feels like the wind and waves are pushing you in directions you didn’t choose. That’s what philosophers call determinism. It's about whether we're really in charge or if everything happens because of things that came before.
Examples
- Imagine your friend always chooses chocolate ice cream, even when they say they don’t really like it, that might be determinism at work.
- Free will is being able to choose between going to school or skipping it. But if you’re tired all the time, maybe the decision feels less free.
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See also
- What is compatibilism?
- What is Hard Determinism? (Does Free Will Exist?)?
- Is free will compatible with a deterministic universe?
- What If Everyone Thought Exactly the Same?
- What is indeterminism?