Academic Definition: Free Will And Determinism Terms

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Outline
Free will and determinism are contrasting terms that can be defined as opposites of one another. As such, they can be used as opposing terms in a statement to bring out the differences in meaning (Sappington, 1990). This paper explains the element of free will using the meaning of determinism to bring out the same much clearer.
Free will refers to the power that one has of acting without the constraints or fate, or necessity such that one can be said to be acting on their own discretion (Harcum, 1991). This means that when one is making a decision, they are not hindered by the external factors within the environment. Such a decision is based on the personal preferences which do not have any element of influence from the stimuli in the environment. There is an element of independence, volition or autonomy in the actions taken (Sappington, 1990). One is free to take a given action, whether it is driven by common sense or simply because they want to do it. For example, choosing to take a walk in the afternoon on a weekend is driven by the element of free will. When one chooses to be involved in crime, this is also an element of free will, given that, one is aware of the consequences (Sappington, 1990). Getting into crime is a choice that one makes despite the fact that there are consequence...