mostly graphite, a bit of needle and thread, and i just typed out the little zeros and ones part


thank you to for the stock photo i used as reference for the head of the girl.
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The debate on free will vs. determinism is an old one – going back millennia and still being argued today. Many of you may already know all about it, but just in case you don’t – determinism (sometimes associated with notions such as fate or providence) is the philosophical belief that every event or action is the inevitable result of preceding events and actions. It’s pretty intuitive for people to think in terms of cause and effect, yet – it’s also pretty intuitive for people to assume they have free will. It’s my opinion, though… that something’s gotta give (at least in terms of how we regard human behavior).

There are 3 general positions on the issue… the determinists for determinism, the libertarians (nothing to do with the political party) for free will, and the compatiblists – who, somehow, believe that free will and determinism can be true at the same time.

Determinists believe that everything is predetermined and consequently that there is absolutely no room for free will - at all. A star explodes, a dog farts, a raindrop falls, a couple makes love, one person sacrifices their life for another, or somebody drowns a baby in a bathtub – it’s all pretty much the same… any value placed on these different events would be purely sentimental preference (resulting from learned behavior or maybe a biochemical reaction in the brain). The universe is basically a giant mechanism in motion, and human beings are no exception. Thinking of the universe, and all it contains, as a gigantic mechanism is all fine and good until we find that we, ourselves, may be nothing more than mere cogs caught in the vast machine. Is it true? Am I only a product of my physical, physiological, psychological, sociological, cultural, and historic circumstances? Certainly these things have a profound influence, but do they absolutely determine every thought, emotion, and action of mine? Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that determinism is true… what would that imply? Concerning morality it basically implies that there is none – how could a person be blamed for something if they weren’t free to do otherwise? Likewise – why should people be praised for virtuous acts? It makes no sense at all to blame or praise, to punish or reward people if they aren’t truly responsible for their actions. Could life even be taken seriously if determinism is true? What would give meaning to what we share with our family and friends if we found that all of our relationships could be reduced down to biochemistry and such? Why set goals for ourselves or invest hope in anything if we truly believe that free will is only a convenient illusion and that everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen is inevitable?

Personally – I am a libertarian. I do believe in free will. I don’t deny that a whole host of variables (genetics, environment, and so on) play into what I do, think, and feel – I just don’t believe that’s the whole story. Maybe my will is only able to exert itself very rarely (like in those choose your own story books) or maybe my will makes an appearance with much more frequency than that. Who knows? The downside to my stance on free will is that I don’t really have any demonstrable proof. I believe that the secret to free will resides in the mysterious realm of the spirit, so empirical data is hard to come by.

As for the compatibilists – I think it’s a weak and confused position on the matter… a feeble attempt at trying to have the best of both worlds. The very definition of determinism excludes the idea of free will. To quote William James: “The issue that will be seen is a particularly sharp one which no eulogistic terminology can smear over or wipe out. The truth must be on one side or the other, and it’s lying with one side makes the other false.”

If you’ve gotten this far – I thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings. Believe it or not – I actually tried to make it concise.