Philosophy and Number
Libertarianism is often seen as the theory which is in polar opposition to hard determinism. Libertarianism believes in free choice while hard determinism dismisses it. The libertarian believes in moral responsibility while the hard determinist finds this concept incoherent, and so on. Carefully examine Machan's reasons for believing that free will exists. Pick two of these then write a 1-2 page essay explaining why you think they are strong reasons for believing in free will, or why you would reject them.
Tibor Machan, professor emeritus at Auburn University, is a libertarian who strongly uphold the idea that human beings have free will. For him, because of free will people have an established idea of an objective knowledge. Likewise, individuals have awareness of the things around them. With these two Machanian reasons, although there are other more important reasons for his belief, free will exists. Below are the possible explications to Machan’s above reasoning.
First, a human person has an independent yet objective knowledge of reality. Not only is a person capable to plan, change his/her plans, and reason out according to his/her best thinking, but can also adapt to his/her situation whenever it is contingent upon him/her. Of course, it does not mean that being able to adjust to the demands of the moment is tantamount to hard determinism. It only proves that human faculty is powerful enough to course his/her way through changing circumstances. For instance, many people have come to detest slavery, racism, genocide, etc. because they run counter to their more civilized beliefs. Without free will, individuals would have stick to these manners of practices for generations to come, without expecting any change at all in the history of humankind.
Second, most, if not all, people (except those with a certain type of disabilities) have the faculty of self-awareness of the things that occur around them. Whenever people make rush judgment, they sometimes make unavoidable errors. However, when they deliberate over their decisions, it becomes clear to them that rationality plays a more important role in their actions. As such, human beings have the free will to understand their current plight and consider various alternatives before taking another important steps in their life. Hence, it cannot be gainsaid that people do actually exercise their human capacity to effect a change in themselves, other people, and surrounding.
What is called hard determinism is far from the notion of what free will is. If people eqaute determinism with free will, it is also because they associate natural events with human beings’ ability to control their circumstances in life. In case they cannot do so, it is because they are constraint by their handicapped, natural phenomenon, and circumstances beyond their control. It is important to note here that even when peopl believe in free will, it does not mean that they do not have limits. Nonetheless, peoples’ capacity to reason out transcends “barriers” because they can live a trail that can change histories, lives of their own kind, and so on.
If I am asked if I strongly disagree with Machan’s reasoning that I have a free will just like any other individuals, I am not. Just like in this essay, I can either agree, disagree, remain neutral, or open up new ideas about free will should I be able to reason out more deeply.
