Freedom and Determinism
The question of what it means to be human deals with various problems, one of them being
the debate over freedom and determinism. Grayson Perry, a transvestite artist opposing the
traditional masculinity norms, with the help of free will, seems to resist the standards
determined by society. The question is whether free will really is the cause of his behaviour
or is it just an illusion? The focus in this essay will be on determinism, which claims that all
events are the necessary result of previous actions and that we do not have the power of free
will. On the contrary, I will examine libertarianism, which rejects determinism and believes
that we have metaphysical freedom, meaning that we have the power to choose between
alternatives. In the essay, I will compare and explain why the theory of determinism is a
better representation of human behaviour and eventually prove that free will is nothing more
than an illusion.
Free will can be seen in the example of Grayson Perry, where he made a free choice of
wearing something different and unexpected despite the genetic determinacy and norms
determined by society. Libertarians would use this to explain how human beings, through
their consciousness, create their own values and how an individual, using free will, can define
himself. Understanding how a man chose to oppose traditional masculinity norms helps us
acknowledge that the man is nothing except what he makes of himself through his actions.
With this, we support Sartre's claim that existence precedes essence, and despite the fact that
the man is thrown into the world of facticity, in the end, he is what he has done out of
himself. However, determinists would not call this decision making free will, rather a
behaviour affected by the causal laws explaining the behaviour. Although it seems like we're
freely making choices, determinists claim that a person's behaviour is affected by his genetic
and environmental histories. Therefore everything we choose to do is a result of our
psychological state and the external circumstances surrounding us, rather than free will.
Determinists claim that every event, without exception, is causally determined by prior
events. Human thoughts, choices and actions are considered events; therefore, all human
thoughts, choices and actions are causally determined by prior events. Hard determinists
believe that because we are affected by others and don't have the freedom of
decision-making, we are not morally responsible for our actions. However, libertarians claim
that a belief in determinism is only an attempt to avoid responsibility and look for excuses.
This is why Sartre says that man is condemned to be free because once thrown into the world,
he is responsible for everything he does. They also claim that human behaviour is an
exception to the rest of nature which is why our choices are freely arrived and not determined
by prior events. The response of the determinist would be that if all changes and events in the
physical world are the necessary results of previous causes, human behaviour should not be
an exception.
Many libertarians, including Sartre, believe that (self-) consciousness is freedom; therefore,
the human being is freedom. In our everyday lives, we are consciously aware of our
surroundings, and because of the perception we have of ourselves, we have the impression of
The question of what it means to be human deals with various problems, one of them being
the debate over freedom and determinism. Grayson Perry, a transvestite artist opposing the
traditional masculinity norms, with the help of free will, seems to resist the standards
determined by society. The question is whether free will really is the cause of his behaviour
or is it just an illusion? The focus in this essay will be on determinism, which claims that all
events are the necessary result of previous actions and that we do not have the power of free
will. On the contrary, I will examine libertarianism, which rejects determinism and believes
that we have metaphysical freedom, meaning that we have the power to choose between
alternatives. In the essay, I will compare and explain why the theory of determinism is a
better representation of human behaviour and eventually prove that free will is nothing more
than an illusion.
Free will can be seen in the example of Grayson Perry, where he made a free choice of
wearing something different and unexpected despite the genetic determinacy and norms
determined by society. Libertarians would use this to explain how human beings, through
their consciousness, create their own values and how an individual, using free will, can define
himself. Understanding how a man chose to oppose traditional masculinity norms helps us
acknowledge that the man is nothing except what he makes of himself through his actions.
With this, we support Sartre's claim that existence precedes essence, and despite the fact that
the man is thrown into the world of facticity, in the end, he is what he has done out of
himself. However, determinists would not call this decision making free will, rather a
behaviour affected by the causal laws explaining the behaviour. Although it seems like we're
freely making choices, determinists claim that a person's behaviour is affected by his genetic
and environmental histories. Therefore everything we choose to do is a result of our
psychological state and the external circumstances surrounding us, rather than free will.
Determinists claim that every event, without exception, is causally determined by prior
events. Human thoughts, choices and actions are considered events; therefore, all human
thoughts, choices and actions are causally determined by prior events. Hard determinists
believe that because we are affected by others and don't have the freedom of
decision-making, we are not morally responsible for our actions. However, libertarians claim
that a belief in determinism is only an attempt to avoid responsibility and look for excuses.
This is why Sartre says that man is condemned to be free because once thrown into the world,
he is responsible for everything he does. They also claim that human behaviour is an
exception to the rest of nature which is why our choices are freely arrived and not determined
by prior events. The response of the determinist would be that if all changes and events in the
physical world are the necessary results of previous causes, human behaviour should not be
an exception.
Many libertarians, including Sartre, believe that (self-) consciousness is freedom; therefore,
the human being is freedom. In our everyday lives, we are consciously aware of our
surroundings, and because of the perception we have of ourselves, we have the impression of
