The Free Will Debate

     Do we really have free will or is it just a myth? This has been the topic of many discussions among philosophers. The free will debate boils to one question, "What is the cause of human actions/behaviors?" One theory of the free will debate is the Libertarianism. The Libertarians believe that most our actions are generated from spontaneous free will and the rest are generated from external forces. The opposing theory is Determinism. Determinist believe that all of our actions are caused by external forces whether physical or psychological events. Both theories are very relevant and important but, personally, I believe that libertarianism is the more plausible theory.

    Libertarianism believe that most of our actions are caused by our free will. I agree with this because human behaviors cannot be entirely caused by external forces. I do agree that some behaviors are caused by external behavior but not all of our actions are caused by our environment. Many people, including myself, face crossroads in life, we all can choose to take a certain path, that path is not always predetermined or planned. Determinist claims that all our behaviors stem from our physical or psychological environment but Libertarians claim that some of our behaviors are caused by external forces and free will. That is why I agree with Libertarianism, because both external forces and free can causes our actions, not just one. The knee jerk technique done by a doctor is an example of our action directly responding to an external force. When we are given the option between having tea or coffee and we choose coffee, this is an example of free will, we can chose what we want. Libertarianism gives me a more clearer understanding of human behavior, better than Determinism.

Explanatory breadth- Libertarians explain more types of human behavior than determinist. Libertarianism gives two explanation of human behavior rather than just one. They believe that some behaviors are caused by free will and other behaviors are caused by external forces. Determinist only gives one explanation, failing to take into account behaviors that are not caused by external forces. Behaviors such as someone choosing to go to the movies instead of staying home, this might seem like a simple example but that person had a choice, they were not coerced or forced to choose to go the movies, they made it out of their own recognizance. Determinist only see one aspect of human behavior and ignores the other aspects.

Explanatory Depth- Libertarians goes into more depth into human behavior than Determinist. As stated before determinist only covers one aspect of human behavior, the external forces that impact or behavior. Libertarians, however, cover a much wider spectrum. They take into account that there could be more than one reason for human behavior. Thus they have a more in-depth explanation.

Simplicity- Determinism is less complicated than Libertarianism because, of the fewer parts it has. Determinism believes that all human behaviors are caused only by external forces. They believe that human behavior is caused by one thing, libertarians on the other hand believe that there are causes of human behavior, external causes and free will.

Conservatism- Both theories are consistent with our current beliefs. Many people, especially those who are religious, believe that we have free will, because God gave us free will so we can decide our own fate. There are also many people who believe that all of our behaviors stem from external causes like our past experiences, where and how we grow up.

1. Libertarianism and Determinism are the most plausible explanations of the cause of human behavior 

2. Libertarianism has more explanatory depth and breadth, whereas determinism was much simpler. 3.Both libertarianism and determinism are more conservative.

Therefore, Libertarianism is the best explanation of the cause of human behavior