External Constraints Shape Individuals' Lives

External Constraints Shape Individuals’ Lives
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Introduction
The subject of free will is one that has been contested for years on end. To date, there are still debates on whether a person has the ability to make their own choices without being subjected to the same by their constraints in their lives. On one side of the social divide are those that feel that persons are in a position to make their own decision without the worry of the repercussions that may result from the pressures in their lives (Carls, 2012).
On the other side of the divide are those that feel that, there are constraints that shape the decisions of every person in the form of external and internal factors. This therefore means that a person’s life is controlled by the number of constraints that they have intheir lives. For the former group, freewill does actually exist for the persons involved to tap into and make the best of their lives and the resources that they have access to. On the other hand, the latter group feels that, free will is more of an illusion, as there are constant factors that are going to affect the ability of any one person to make any fundamental decisions in their lives (Cf.ac.uk, 2014). This therefore implies that that the latter group relates to the inability of shaping one’s life devoid of the environment and the abound influences.
Emile Durkheim
According to one of the philosophers called Emile Durkheim, human lives are controlled in part by the external factors that are found in the society within which the individual lives. Emile had been a sociologist from France and rose to the level of immenserecognition during the early 20thcentury from the late 19th century. In the same ranks as the likes of Max Weber and Karl Marx, Emile is credited as one of the cofounders of the modern sociology. According to Emile, the society is formed of different parts and among is them are different individuals that come together (Lukes, 2014). When the individuals and the other element interact, they create a reality that is much greater than the sum of the total parts involved in the reality creation. It is not possible to understand from the context of the psychological and biological studies.
In his argument, Emile felt that, it was possible to study the subject of human societies and life scientifically (HubPages, 2014). According to Emile there are collective elements in the lives of every individual as presented in the society, which exist in independent states but still have the ability to influence the individuals in question. In his argument, Emile called these elements the social facts.Using the idea behind social facts and their influence on the individuals in the society, Emile published a number of works in which he evaluated various social institutions and effects that they have on the lives of persons within the society. Some of these works include; The Elementary Forms of Religious Life,The Rules of Sociological Method, Suicide, and On the Division of Social Labor.During his time he also published several articles and reviews as well lectures contributing to the study.
During his time, the field of sociology was not as independent as it is today. As such, Emile went to great lengths to ensure that sociology was separate from all other fields and could be studied as a single entity without the influence of the other disciplines it was previously associated with, such as philosophy.In reference to the same, Emile also felt that philosophy and sociology were in some way complementing each other. He viewed sociology as having greater advantages over philosophy given that using his method, sociology now had a way of even studying subjects that were reserved for philosophy. Of greater importance was the fact that Emily also felt that sociology could now take on philosophical questions and study them empirically, other than just theoretically and metaphysically.
Life and the externalities
When performing the life duties of a mother, father, brother, sister, clergy and doctor among other roles within the society, there are factors that outside every other individual that on must abide with and are the sole reason that one makes the decisions the way they do(Lawton, 2014). The social facts are deeply intertwined into the social fabric and they form part of the objective thoughts of every human being within the given social setting. As such individual conform to these facts and are perceived as a reality outside the individual and have great influence on the thoughts, feelings, perceptions and beliefs of the people.
The law
One of the factors that are external to the individual yet they have a great compelling and coercive power are laws. Every society after much interaction is bound to have some form administrative figures. These are figures borne out of the need to have order in the society in question. As such, with the authoritative figures, there must belaws, which are supposed to guide the society in the normal events of their lives. The laws bring about the element of responsibility and punishment. Whenever one commits a felony or any acts that subvert the acts of the law, they are bound to meet the full repercussions of their offence(Carls, 2012). This in itself is an external factor, given that people will always try to avoid the penalties. As such, it is easy to see the element of the law being an external factor that determines the decision one makes given the punishment that they may have to deal with in the event that the law takes effect.
In the modern day, every society has laws that govern every other person in the society. The law is upheld by the justice system that extends to three main arms of the government and the armed forces. It is important to note that, with reference to the aspects of free will one has the ability to make decisions that shape their live independent of the laws. In an example, one may decide that they are going to take illegal drugs in the comfort of their homes and even on the streets(Pco.parliament.govt.nz, 2014). This is aconscious decision that anyone can make devoid of influence. However, due to the external social facts intrinsic in a society stating that laws have to be followed and ignorance of the same cannot be contested in a court of law, one would have to evaluate the penalties before taking the decision. This goes on to show the effect that the external factors have on the lives of any individual and the decision that they make(Jones, 2014).
Social norms and customs (morality)
Within every other society, there are social norms that dictate what is right and what is wrong. These norms can also be viewed as customs that regulate the behaviours of the society members. From an early age, children are taught of the norms that are presupposedas the right acts by the people of the given community (Curran and Takata, 2014). Different communities have different customs and it normal to have conflict between several aspects. The Chinese and the Americans for example are two different societies that have customs which vary at great lengths. In the event that companies from either divide have to transact business with a member of the opposite divide, they have to take into consideration the aspect of these differences. This clearly explains the fact that norms and customs from our own society have effect on us and those from other societies (Highered.mcgraw-hill.com, 2014). These norms and customs can also be looked at from the perspective of the social morals entrenched in the society.
Every individual is expected to behave in a certain way contrary to which they will be deemed as immoral. One has the free will of taking another person’s property or even their life. It is within the precepts of human instincts to defend themselves if they are threatened to point of death. However, if any one person in the majority of the societies decides to take the life of another or their property, this act is seen as immoral. Without applying the objectivity of the law, the person is seen as having committed an immoral act and thus branded as immoral. It is then that most of this people will be taken to the courts of law and charged before imprisonment and other grief measure commensurate with the offence. This aspect creates the tie between the law and the social norms, which...