Lidija Towner

October 10, 2013

Free will is an illusion. Do you agree?

For my topic for this essay, I have decided to use the argument about free will being an illusion. Free will is saying that not everything happens for a reason, and that there is no fate; we decide it ourselves. The main argument of this question is saying that we have no control over what we do and when we do it because it is all decided by the law of fate. With any argument, there are many different sides to agreeing and disagreeing both with good points. Free will has been an argument that many people have discussed over many years. Of course, its never been proven to exist or to not exist, and probably never will be because its a philosophical thing. Both sides of the argument have very strong reasons as to why or why not it doesnt exist, so it makes it hard for me or anyone else who is studying this argument to come to a conclusion about it. People who believe that free will does not exist believe that everything is controlled by fate, and we are not in charge of what happens in our lives and futures. Our minds are information vacuums. Either we fill them with thoughts of our choosing or someone else will. Is a quote from an author. Although he is not a philosopher, I think that quote is a good argument for people who do believe in free will because its saying that we have the right to make our own choices and choose our own destiny, if we dont do it ourselves, someone else will do it for us, so in so many words we have control over our own thoughts and the way we work, and if we dont do it for ourselves, someone else will do it for us; its not controlled by fate. I disagree with this argument because everything happens for a reason. Your past affects your future, and there is no doubting that. Fate does play a part in everyones life, and I believe that everyone has a fate no matter what they are going through to get there. Sometimes you wont even know that the position youre in, no matter how horrible it is, is going to bring you to your fate! I believe that things cause other things. There is always a reason behind everything that happens or is made. Theres a rea son for this computer that Im typing on right now, and theres a reason for me even being here right now! Although I see myself as open minded and I will happily take other peoples arguments into consideration and maybe even side with them, I am a firm believer in the fact that everything does happen for a reason, and that fate exists, we all have a destiny. Free will is an illusion in my mind because everything that happens in the past affects our future, even if we have no control over the things that have happened in past years. I still think that both sides have very strong and good arguments, but for now I am going to stay put in believing there is a reason for everything that happens, and we all have a fate, even if it isnt a pleasant one.