What is the contradiction between determinism and free will?
The determinist approach proposes that all behavior has a cause and is thus predictable. Free will is an illusion, and our behavior is governed by internal or external forces over which we have no control.
Can you have free will without evil?
Free will is a great good, and it is impossible for God to give us free will without allowing evil. So, God allows evil to exist. It is obviously a crucial part of this objection that it is impossible for God to both give us free will and prevent any evil from occurring.
What is the main point of the free will defense?
The free will defense solves the problem of evil by claiming that creatures have power to exert freely some control over their circumstances. Creatures can use freedom for good or evil; evil results from improper creaturely use of freedom.
What is the contradiction in the will?
Instead, the contradiction is often said to be a contradiction in the will that would be asked to will these maxims. Now, how does this alleged contradiction in the will in question relate to the notion of a universal law of nature?
What is free will in philosophy?
Free Will. First published Mon Jan 7, 2002; substantive revision Tue Aug 21, 2018. The term “free will” has emerged over the past two millennia as the canonical designator for a significant kind of control over one’s actions.
Why was the problem of free will important to early philosophers?
The centrality of the problem of free will to the various projects of early modern philosophers can be traced to two widely, though not universally, shared assumptions. The first is that without belief in free will, there would be little reason for us to act morally.
Do we need free will to be morally moral?
The first is that without belief in free will, there would be little reason for us to act morally. More carefully, it was widely assumed that belief in an afterlife in which a just God rewards and punishes us according to our right or wrong use of free will was key to motivating us to be moral (Russell 2008, chs. 16–17).