The will of the individual in the society cannot be completely free because of the societal norms which affect the will of each individual. Moreover, the society is shaped in such a way that it encourages the establishment of the masses and of the individuals and their free will. There are influential people in all of the societies and the possibility of the free will exists although it is depends on the person to accept having free will or not.
It is essential for the humans to understand the concept of free will and to find out if they have a choice in life or if they do what is right according to the society. “Freud talked about unconscious conflicts as causes of behavior, and Skinner talked about environmental contingencies, but either way we were not free to decide” (Schwartz). This is exactly because of the society because people live as members of the society and not isolated. Their wants and needs are based on what is seen as desirable in the society and they comply with the pre-established norms. Therefore, the individual does not have much choice than to obey which is why their free will is limited. The society as a whole determines what is right and what is wrong and most individuals follow the pattern of behavior set by the previous generations. That is the key to the survival of civilization and people rely to what they are familiar with instead of inventing new paths in life.
There are also theories which explain social progress which includes free will because any changes come from the use of free will. There are always people who strive for perfection and who are not satisfied with the current world order and they want to change it. “Maslow’s (1968) humanistic theory regards self-actualization—identifying and living according to one’s highest potentials—as the ultimate goal of human existence” (Schwartz). Every change of the world begins as a personal change and the revolutionaries work on themselves before they engage in changing the world for the better. Some people are good at manipulating other people for their personal causes and they certainly have free will. Innovators also have free will because they invent things which never existed before and they would not be able to do so if there were no free will.
The legal system also depends on the existence of free will because a culprit would not be guilty of committing a crime if they did not have free will. The criminal would not be sentenced for committing a crime if there were not free will because it would mean that they had no choice. It is the same for other things such as raising children or educating young people. If there was no free will, all of the students would perform equally and parents would not be responsible for the behavior of their children. There is free will in the society, but it is mostly related to the choices people make in lives and some people have “introspective awareness of their own freedom” (Lazerowitz 4). Most people decide to follow the steps of their predecessors, while the brave people and the real individuals choose their own and unique lifestyles. People make a choice in life whether they will have free will or not because some people make their lives easier by following a set of rules which makes them feel comfortable. Other people cannot stand not having free will and they choose to stand out from the crowd and to live in a way which is not in accordance with the norms that most people follow.
It could be said that people who make the rules have free will and those who follow the rules have limited free will. People behave in a different was when they act individually than when they act as members of the masses because mass behavior is always different than individual behavior. The masses are treated differently that influential individuals because they are not expected to do anything extraordinary in their lives. Average people have average free will and most people are average which means that free will is related to being exceptions. It takes a lot of strength and courage to stand up for oneself and to defend one’s differences. People should be encouraged to be unique, but most people are satisfied with repeating the patterns of behavior which are established as desirable.
There are cases in which free will is weakened due to the biological traits. “We know that men make more aggressive decisions after they have been shown pictures of attractive female faces. We know women are more likely to commit infidelity on days they are fertile” (Shirky). Also, the way in which a voting paper is designed may have effect on the person’s preference in voting. These psychological tricks are often used by marketers to lure people into becoming their customers. People can be manipulated, especially the masses and there is a biological background for this. However, there are also strong ad independent people who refuse to be affected by the masses and they are the ones responsible for the progress in the society. Free will also depends on the way people were brought up and on their surroundings. “Intellectual concepts of free will can vary enormously, but there seems to be a fairly universal gut belief in the concept starting at a young age” (Tierney). Young people should be educated on the power of free will because determinism means that there is no choice in life. People need to be educated on the free will and the possibilities it offers for advancement. Everything is better if it is a personal choice of an individual even if it is a mistake because people learn from mistakes.
It is important for the society to acknowledge the existence of free will because people need to be responsible for their actions. “They also tend to agree, across cultures, that a hypothetical person in a hypothetically deterministic world would not be responsible for his sins” (Tierney). Everybody has to pay for the mistakes they make especially if they hurt other people along the way. Free will means that people have choices in life to make and that they can excel at what they do or not depending on their ambition. Moreover, some people need to be heard and given the chance to make a point and to leave an impact on the world which makes them influential. They certainly have free will because most of them choose to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the society. Different people make different choices in life and the choices depend on personal characteristics. “When a person makes a choice, they might review multiple options, but the choice they eventually make is due to who they are. The qualities of that person, his or her personality, values and thoughts, affect the decisions that are made” (Bar-Yam). People are always responsible for their action no matter whether the existence of free will is acknowledged or not. However, the fact that people suffer consequences for their behavior makes free will possible.
There is a possibility for an individual to have free will in the society because if there was no free will, there would be no progress and there would be no crime. Everything would be done in accordance with the rules provided by the society as a whole. There are some elementary rules which need to be followed so that the civilization would survive, but individuals do have free will because they are able to make choices in life based on their personal preference.
Works Cited
Schwartz, Seth. "Do We Have Free Will?" Psychology Today 19 Nov. 2013. Web. 4 May 2016. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/proceed-your-own-risk/201311/do-we-have-free-will>.
Shirky, Clay. "Free will is going away. Time to redesign society to take that into account." Edge.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2016. <https://www.edge.org/response-detail/10514>.
Tierney, John. "Do You Have Free Will? Yes, It’s the Only Choice." The New York Times 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 4 May 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/science/22tier.html?_r=0>.
Bar-Yam, Yaneer. "On the Role of Free Will in Predictive Models of Human Behavior." New England Complex System Institute. N.p., 10 May 2011. Web. 4 May 2016. <http://necsi.edu/research/overview/freewill.html>.
Lazerowitz, Morris. "Free Will." Crítica: Revista Hispanoamericana de Filosofía 16.48 (1984): 3-17. Web. 4 May 201
