Discuss the free will and determinism debate including hard and soft determinism. Biological,
environmental and psychic determinism and the scientific emphasis on causal explanations.
Free will relates to a person conscious control over their own behaviour and chooses to behave like
this not to do with biological reasoning. Whereas determinism states that behaviour is determined
by biological reasoning which is influenced by internal or external factors. There are two different
types of determinisms; soft determinism is the fact that we are influenced by factors that cause
certain choices but we also have an element of free will through this which allows us to manoeuvre
certain behaviours. The second type is hard determinism which states the view that all behaviour
can be predicted and there’s no free will, this view play into a feature of science which suggests that
human behaviour is a cause of internal or external factors and can be predicted through science. The
causal explanation suggests that everything has a cause and effect relationship and this can also
apply to human behaviour. The sub categories of determinism go into the reasoning behind
behaviour. Biological determinism suggests that behaviours are influenced by biology. Many of our
physiological and neurological processes aren’t under our conscious. Much behaviour such as certain
mental disorders can be explained through genetics such as OCD which can be related to the high
levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the system. Another explanation is psychic determinism
which focuses on Freud which suggests that free will is an illusion and that human behaviour is
determined and directed through unconscious conflicts repressed in childhood. One explanation is
environmental determinism is that behaviour is determined or caused by forces outside the
individual. This explanation puts forward the idea that previous experience learned through
conditioning influences our behaviour. Bandura (1961) study suggests that children with violent
parents are also likely to become violent parents too. Scientific determinism focuses on the causal
explanation and can be explained through cause and effect laws.
environmental and psychic determinism and the scientific emphasis on causal explanations.
Free will relates to a person conscious control over their own behaviour and chooses to behave like
this not to do with biological reasoning. Whereas determinism states that behaviour is determined
by biological reasoning which is influenced by internal or external factors. There are two different
types of determinisms; soft determinism is the fact that we are influenced by factors that cause
certain choices but we also have an element of free will through this which allows us to manoeuvre
certain behaviours. The second type is hard determinism which states the view that all behaviour
can be predicted and there’s no free will, this view play into a feature of science which suggests that
human behaviour is a cause of internal or external factors and can be predicted through science. The
causal explanation suggests that everything has a cause and effect relationship and this can also
apply to human behaviour. The sub categories of determinism go into the reasoning behind
behaviour. Biological determinism suggests that behaviours are influenced by biology. Many of our
physiological and neurological processes aren’t under our conscious. Much behaviour such as certain
mental disorders can be explained through genetics such as OCD which can be related to the high
levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the system. Another explanation is psychic determinism
which focuses on Freud which suggests that free will is an illusion and that human behaviour is
determined and directed through unconscious conflicts repressed in childhood. One explanation is
environmental determinism is that behaviour is determined or caused by forces outside the
individual. This explanation puts forward the idea that previous experience learned through
conditioning influences our behaviour. Bandura (1961) study suggests that children with violent
parents are also likely to become violent parents too. Scientific determinism focuses on the causal
explanation and can be explained through cause and effect laws.
