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May 15, 2019
Freedom of will
Aristotle said that we are not free if our actions are caused by ‘external compulsion'. His treatment of force and compulsion identifies if it is possible to hold an agent responsible for his actions. The concept is used for building a relationship of free will with moral responsibility. Aristotle has relied on a causal chain for identifying four major causes as; material, efficient, formal and final. He has reckoned that chances that cause accidents. Chance according to him is the fifth cause among all causes. The causal chain becomes visible in response to an accident. Although decisions are predictable when they are based on human behavior but if they were not developed freely it confirms the role of external compulsion.
The central argument of Aristotle claims that human beings lack free will due to external compulsion. The choices made by humans are influenced by compulsion or external events that undermine the concept of freedom. Aristotle emphasizes on the inevitability of actual events and rejects the conclusiveness of theory. The view rejects the belief that the consequences of actions are the result of free actions. Desires and circumstances have a strong role in defining actions. The concept of free will vanishes when a person performs under the influence of coercion or hypnosis. Under such circumstances, he is unable to act morally, but the choice does not free him from moral responsibility CITATION WFR68 \l 1033 (Hardie). Aristotle was not a determinist but he identified indefinite causes that contribute to free will. He mentions, “causes from which chance results might happen are indeterminate; hence chance is obscure to human calculation and is a cause by accident” CITATION Ari11 \l 1033 (Aristotle). The concept of accidents is used to explain that actions are responses to certain events. His argument thus presents chances as uncaused causes that means they are not the product of one’s decisions.
External compulsion represents vivid reasoning in discussing freedom and self compared to the deterministic perspective. Freedom, self, and moral responsibility become incompatible according to Aristotle’s views. Aristotle has rejected the philosophy of determinists that claims that actions or decisions are caused by behaviours. The strength of determinism and free will is apparent in Aristotle’s discussion of human choices and free will. The general idea of external compulsion states that humans lack free will. Views of Aristotle support the external however his suggestions represent him as a soft determinist. His ideas of liberty and necessity explain the reasons behind human actions. In his theory of liberty and necessity, he reveals the role of liberty as a negotiation that leads to certain causes. He mentions, “it is universally allowed, that matter in all its operations, is actuated by a necessary force, and that every natural effect is so precisely determined by the energy of its cause, that no other effect, in such particular circumstances, could have resulted from it” CITATION Joe11 \l 1033 (Feinberg). He promotes the idea of necessities and causation. The idea of causation becomes the same as explained under deterministic view. He uses induction and causation to explain the reasons for human actions. He considers nature's laws as immutable and determines the need for proving cause. Necessity defines the force that promotes actions and present cause depending on the circumstances.
The central claims presented by Aristotle is that if behavior causes actions and that behavior is not one’s choice, then there is no free will. This also states that everything that occurs is a response to necessity. There are principles and causes that are general and deductible but there are also some events that are accidental. Aristotle has focused on the events that occur accidentally. The determinist philosopher has rejected the idea of Aristotle by explaining the role of causal chains. Contrary to that Aristotle based his ideology on the principle of chance and rejected the claims of determinist philosophers. He claims that chances are obscure and occur themselves. He further explains that when we desire at our ends the means to our ends become deliberation or choice. When actions follow desires they are done in a voluntary manner CITATION WFR68 \l 1033 (Hardie). But in cases when we exercise virtue and think about our moral responsibility the role of free will again becomes less visible.
The argument of Aristotle claims that moral responsibility also acts as an external compulsion because it prevents human from taking an independent decision. When human beings are influenced by the philosophy of morality they are less likely to make an independent choice. This again reflects the absence of freedom and free will. The concept of morality states that an individual is never free to take any decision that is solely the product of their desires. I consider that morality acts as an internal compulsion because it prevents an individual from following his personal wish. This brings human beings to an internal state of conflict where they need to choose between self and good CITATION Ari11 \l 1033 (Aristotle). Free will cannot be practised under the influence of moral philosophy because if an individual enjoyed the freedom he would prefer his personal desire. However, in a real-life scenario, people always think about good and bad that affect their choices in different situations.
Aristotle represents strong debate on freedom by considering the role of circumstances. Indeterminism situations play a crucial role in determining actions and behaviours. It confers the view that humans are irresistible to inductive reasoning reflects the role of free will becomes less significant due to circumstances. The view is useful in understanding that humans are incapable of choosing between different events. External compulsion approach states that desire and will not cause free actions. According to present ideology, an agent is the responsible entity that leads to certain causes and actions. A necessary action under the present proposition provoked by desires is not a free action. The view presents the common example of actions that are caused by violence. Determination of will explains the power of action while he uses hypothetical liberty to further explain the choice. Aristotle’s concept of ‘compulsion’, can be associated with external and internal causation leading to actions CITATION WFR68 \l 1033 (Hardie). He states that it is not appropriate to judge people for immoral actions that are not the outcome of their faults. When external factors control the actions of individuals, they don't hold the responsibility for their actions CITATION Joe11 \l 1033 (Feinberg).
External compulsion is apparent in ‘Human freedom and self’ that solves the metaphysical problem of human freedom by considering them, responsible agents. The philosophical view is not against the ideology of freedom as the belief promotes the idea that every event is the outcome of every other event. The view confers the idea that events and actions have close relevance. The approach conveys the belief that proceeding factors are vital in causing behaviors CITATION Ari11 \l 1033 (Aristotle). Aristotle’s view follows causal laws and considers them responsible for generating behaviors. Free will reflects the belief that people can make some choices under the assumption that people can choose their actions. The concept of free choice also states that people can choose whether or not to commit the crime. Aristotle’s theory suggests that circumstances and events promote certain behaviors. Behaviorists are determinists because they focus on identifying the reason behind actions. The view focus on identifying the role of free will and responsibility of humans in taking different actions. The theory conveys the belief that law of regularity is the central force behind the occurrence of events. Following the deterministic view, philosophy states that human desires and choices are also caused. The free action relies on the choice of an individual and will be choosing mechanisms.
Internal compulsion empathizes on the proposition that we have no free will, and we can live without it. It accepts the reality of causal determinism but also states that humans lack the complete free will. This kind of free will requires moral responsibility allowing humans to make choices. The philosopher affirms the truth of free will that determinism identifies. Lack of moral responsibility and the impact of judgments on human actions also supports compulsion. The view suggests modifying determinism by including moral philosophy as the absence of moral responsibility does not change values. Aristotle uses the ideology of causation to explain free will. To explain compulsion consider the scenario of murder that a person commits freely CITATION Rob89 \l 1033 (Roberts). External compulsion represents the strongest justification with the explanation; when a person kills someone for personal gain that is compatible with determinism. In such a situation, desire becomes that reason causing murder. Under determinism, the concept of free will is more dominant when the cause of action is second-order desires. It also recognizes a distal cause as the murderer is unable to control his desires, leading to the act of murder. Under such conditions, the control agent becomes the weaker affecting the ability of an individual to control his actions.
I believe that compulsion can be internal because any action that occurs in response to internal desires lacks free will. The action that is then performed in response to internal feelings is not free. An individual who is unable to control his desires or inner emotions will not be able to take independent decisions. In real life I encountered situations in which people limit my freedom such as my desire was to choose Arts for graduation but my parents convinced me to pick science. Although they didn't impose their decision when I shared my personal desire they told me to choose something that ensures career prospects. The suggestion of career acted as an external compulsion because it prevented me from taking an independent decision. I realized that free will is a rare phenomenon in real life. There are events when one cannot practice that they want to due to the external compulsion.
Another thing that allowed me to experience the limitation of free will is moral responsibility. In many situations, I was unable to make an independent choice because I was influenced by moral philosophy. At different incidents, I am told by people not to do this because it is wrong. Similarly, I receive suggestions about choosing right over wrong. Such attitude or responses from people become part of my unconscious thoughts and influence my decision whenever I have to make a choice. This reflects that people always act in a way to limit my freedom or free will.
I think I can only free myself to the extent when I am alone by focusing on my desires and myself. In can free me from the thoughts of others or what others tells me. This can only be practiced when I am alone such as by listening to the music and forgetting everything and every person. I think that such freedom is short term and cannot be attained in real life.
Work Cited
Aristotle. Free will. 2011. 15 05 2019 <http://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/philosophers/aristotle/>.
Feinberg, Joel. Reason and Responsibility. Wadsworth, 2011.
Hardie, W. F. R. "Aristotle and the Freewill Problem ." Philosophy 43.165 (1968): 274-278.
Roberts, Jean. "Aristotle on Responsibility for Action and Character." Ancient Philosophy 9 (1989): 23-36.
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