Many debates in modern philosophy can be compared to a kind of protracted war. One of these issues is the presence or absence of a free will. The opinions of scientists about what free will is, and even about the reality of its existence, are very contradictory. However, a person can be considered free and recognize its existence by observing the manifestations of free will in practical life.
One of the primary conditions of freedom in the theory of free will, according to Campbell, is the availability of alternative opportunities, or the ability “to do otherwise” (506). The free-action agent must have a choice between alternatives and in such a way that which of them will be preferred. Since each of the options is not determined until the very moment of choice, it can become a reality. The need for alternative possibilities is the main reason for postulating another basis of Campbell’s theory of freedom, namely “indeterminism in the physical universe” (509). Applying to the problem of free will, this means that each agent’s choice is necessarily conditioned by the events that precede the selection, and they, in turn, are also necessarily prepared. Also, free action, according to Campbell, is analyzed by the same apparatus that is used to describe the phenomena of nature. Physical theories are actively used as “the basis for studying the heart of the subject” and its place in the world (511). Thus, such proofs as the mathematical justification of free will appeared.
Free will undoubtedly exist as a psychological, social phenomenon. Describing the place of the concept of free will in the system of general psychology, it can be assumed that every act of human activity generates free will. The main proofs of the theory of free will are alternative possibilities, indeterminism in the physical universe, and exact scientific justifications – all of these allow philosophers to assert the existence of free will.
Work Cited
Campbell, Arthur. In Defence of Free Will. Allen & Unwin, 1967.