What Position Would I Choose Regarding Free Will and Determinism? 

Christen Ferris

September 10, 2013

As our country goes into yet anther anniversary of September 11th, it has influenced me on how I reflect on the theories involving free will and determinism. The theory of determinism can be described in the article “Who is Writing the Script of My Life?”, “All of our choices to some degree are already determined before we make them as I can easily take either each view as sensible so it is hard for me to choose between them.” Free will consists of. “the power to make our own choices in spite of all influences”.

When I think of determinism I think of the people who went to work 12 years ago on September 11th, and something happened to where they weren’t in the building when the airplanes crashed into it. It makes me see the beautiful art of divine intervention. Maybe the person who was stuck in traffic on the subway or whatnot, looks to these circumstances as a predetermined set of events that were put there in order to save their life. This circumstance brings me to ask one question; How and why does the divine coordinator, God, go about choosing who to save? A passage in the bible helps me understand that God too much of a mystery to understand. Job 11:7-9 says that, "Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens--what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave--what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.”

On the other hand, maybe the person who was lucky to not be caught in one of the towers on September 11th may have a different view and think that it was free will that saved their lives. They might see that it was THEIR choice to take that specific subway route that morning which essentially delayed their arrival. Maybe they see themselves as their own savior. They consider their life as saved because of their individual choice without anyone’s, including God’s, influence on it. I believe that God does give man a sense of free will because he wants to give humanity a chance to CHOOSE to love and follow Him.

It is hard for me to choose between these two theories, so I like to take the compatability view in this case. Compatibilism is the view that “some of our choices are already determined but some are not and thus we are free to make some of our own choices” I believe that life works out to where there is a combination of both determinism and free will. I think we need both of these categories to be considered fully human. Without one category, there is an imbalance that reflects a lack of either free will or a divine power to interact in our lives. I believe there is always a purpose for everything in our lives. At the same time, we are GIVEN A CHOICE on how to live out the circumstances we are placed in. A wise person once told me that life is 90 percent of what happens to us, and the last 10 percent is how we react to the other 90 percent.

Refernces

Simpler “Who is Writing the Script of My Life” Classic Categories #1 p. 2