Is it possible to have free will? This argument is perhaps the most well-known in Philosophy. This historical argument is where every philosopher has their own opinions. Free will is a topic that divides philosophers. Psychology Today defines free will as the “ability to make conscious decisions that are independent of the biology and physics of the brain.” This is the belief that we have control over how we behave and that we can choose what we do.
In terms of free will, it is impossible to ignore determinism or pre-determinism. Determinism is a philosophical concept that states or events, including human decisions and actions, are the inevitable and necessary consequences of previous states of affairs (Information Philosopher). Pre-determinism believes that all past and future events were pre-determined by God. Saint Augustine believed that God had foreseen the future. Rationalists such Descartes and Spinoza disagree. They believe God controls the universe and our lives. Rationalists argued that Man does not have free will. Therefore, free will is a lie. Spinoza claims, for example, that we don’t have control over everything that happens to our bodies. We can’t ‘choose’ how we think. The free will of man is therefore not possible. Saint Thomas Aquinas Online says that St. Aquinas believed Man’s will was free. He believed Man can make his own choices, as opposed to rationalists Spinoza & St. Augustine.
