The Green Ranger: aka Johnny Cash
Metaphysics Final Paper
Dr. Kirby
4/9/12
Morality and Ethics Regarding the Problem of Free Will
Abstract
Within the realm of Metaphysics the issue regarding free will is a highly debated topic.
Free will is constantly debated on the grounds of existence as well as importance. Foundational
elements within this debate include theories such as compatibilism and incompatibilism.
Through these theories philosophers aim to identify if there is a problem with the existence of
free will, and if so, what can be done to solve the problem. Add in principles of ethics and
morality of decision making and free will assumes an additional position. Attempting to figure
out if there is a problem with the theory of free will and trying to come up with a way to solve
the problem, if it exists, creates an excellent philosophical debate.
I
One of the foundational elements of metaphysics is the component of free will, and the
problems that stem from figuring out if free will truly exists in any capacity at all. Free will is
constantly referred to within philosophy dealing with human behavior and the human decision
making process. Debates range from attempting to validate whether or not free will plays a
role in decision making to whether or not humans inherently think about the ethical and moral
considerations when performing an action. Theories regarding free will are formulated in order
to understand, or question, the ability that humans have to make choices within their lives.
Many people feel that free will is an inherent principle within everyday life that cannot be
challenged. Others assume the stance that free will is not as simple as the choices a person
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The Green Ranger: aka Johnny Cash
Metaphysics Final Paper
Dr. Kirby
4/9/12
may make in their life, meaning that they believe factors greater than choice are involved in the
decisions humans make. People also can claim that free will is nonexistent and that choices are
not made by humans on an individualistic scale, meaning that instead they take place within a
preordained series of events that we have no control over. Whatever the case may be, the
problem and existence of free will theory has sparked excellent debates and generated
numerous additional theories over time. . For the sake of this essay the emphasis will primarily
be on how to think about the problem of free will, how to create a set idea on how to solve the
problem, and the ethical components that prove free will exists.
People are constantly attempting to understand the principles of free will, and freedom
of choice as a way of justifying the events that occur within their lives. Through examining
multiple sources and analyzing different theories about the problem of free will we can
understand what the problem of free will is, and the possible ways created in an attempt to
solve the problems the theory presents. Once an understanding of the problem of free will is
reached and the possible ways to solve the problem are analyzed an examination of the moral
and ethical elements within the theory of free will and human choice overall can be performed.
The attempt at understanding where morality and ethics factor in to free will, will allow for the
theory to be seen on a more personable level in the realm of everyday human actions. Using
everyday examples of the human ability to exert free willed decision making will aid in
understanding the initial claims of the problem of free will, and the attempted ways to solve
the problem.
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The Green Ranger: aka Johnny Cash
Metaphysics Final Paper
Dr. Kirby
4/9/12
Initially the way that free will can be assessed is by first understanding how to think
about it as a concept and how philosophers have historically attempted to define what free will
is. By first understanding how to think about the problem of free will we will be given the
foundation for attempting to solve the problem. Once an understanding of the different
ideologies and problems presented by the theory of free will is obtained we can attempt to
justify whether or not there is a problem with free will at all.
After exploring numerous texts regarding the theory of free will and how to think about
the problems that free will theory generates several issues appear frequently. The first of these
problems that appear when attempting to understand how to think about the problem of free
will is the extremely convoluted language used to generate the theories. The terminology
ranges from terms such as libertarianism, compatibilism, determinist, indeterminist, to a host
of other words. In order to understand the problem of free will a person must first understand
either what these terms mean, or do away with them. By doing either of these steps first
getting to the heart of what the problem of free will can be obtained. In terms of this essay the
primary terms of importance are compatibilism and incompatibilism. These terms aide in
understanding the potential stances created regarding free will theory. That being said, before
getting into detail about how these terms relate to the problem of free will, free will, the moral
and ethical elements of free will decision making, and the problem itself should first be defined
and analyzed.
Free will is generally considered to be the independent ability for conscious creatures to
make decisions based on the events and situations that surround them in any manner in which
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The Green Ranger: aka Johnny Cash
Metaphysics Final Paper
Dr. Kirby
4/9/12
they deem appropriate. Free will can also be characterized by the thesis, which is commonly
known as the “free-will” thesis:
“We are sometimes in the following position with respect to a contemplated future act:
we simultaneously have both the following abilities: the ability to perform that act and
the ability to refrain from performing that act.”
(Van Inwagen 329)
In other words this thesis claims that after an action is executed, we at some point in time
(prior to the completion of the action) were in some way capable of refraining from doing it.
One problem that free will theory generates is stated by Peter van Inwagen in his essay titled
How to Think about the Problem of Free Will as:
“There are seemingly unanswerable arguments that demonstrate that free will is
incompatible with determinism and there are seemingly unanswerable arguments that
demonstrate that free will is incompatible with indeterminism. But if free will is
incompatible both with determinism and indeterminism, the concept “free will” is
incoherent, and the thing free will does not exist.”
(van Inwagen 328)
The meaning behind this explanation of the problem of free will is rooted in the attributes that
define determinists and compatibilist. By highlighting the circularity within these terms the
claim that free will does not exist can be stated. The moral and ethical factors within free will
theory also are stated by Van Inwagen in this same piece in order to add another element the
way the problem of free will can be thought about.
“There are moreover, seemingly unanswerable arguments that, if they are correct,
demonstrate that the existence of moral responsibility entails the existence of free will,
and, therefore, if free will does not exist, moral responsibility does not exist either.”
(Van Inwagen 328)
These passages provide the foundational concepts for what is considered to be the problem of
free will. Overall the problem of free will is expressed through these statements with a degree
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The Green Ranger: aka Johnny Cash
Metaphysics Final Paper
Dr. Kirby
4/9/12
of circularity in the ideologies of compatibilism and determinism, thus causing the overall doubt
for the existence of free will to surface. In addition these principles factor in the existence of
moral and ethical responsibility which are logically valid, thus making moral responsibility a
correct claim leading to the existence of free will. Once again a circular bit of logic is thrown
into the mixture of attempting to think about the problem of free will. These claims all lead to
the overall problem of free will being the attempt to figure out which of these theories is
falsifiable and then to eliminate the fallacies within them to clarify the problem of free will into
one that is potentially solvable.
Now that the three major components of thinking about the problem of free will have
been introduced the key terms can be defined. By defining the key terms the principles stated
above become clear. Determinism is the perspective that the past and the laws of nature
together determine, at every moment, a unique future. The opposite of this view is
indeterminism. Compatibilism is the theory that determinism and the free-will thesis could
both be true or compatible. These terms are used within the key statements about the
problem of free will in various combinations. By using these statements a uniform set of
opinions can be reached on what the problem of free will is. Another term that is important to
identify in order to understand a portion of the problem of free will is moral (ethical)
responsibility; Peter van Inwagen provides this within the text of his essay as “ x is morally
responsible for the fact that P= performed an action.” X being the situation or person, and P
being the person. Basically the statement can be summed up by saying that It is x’s fault that p
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Metaphysics Final Paper
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did y, effectively placing the cause for action on the person or event “x” as a reason for “p”
happening.
Also in defining free will in this way allows for questions regarding the cause and ability
for an action to happen to surface. Within this the theories of compatibilists and
incompatibilists effectively mean the same thing when they use the term “able”, which is an
important element when attempting to understand the function of free will theory. Van
Inwagen states that since free will denotes a type of power held by individuals any theory
denoting the same power i.e “compatibilist free will” and “libertarian free will” are valid in the
discussion regarding the possible ways to think about the problem of free will. Ability is often
regarded as the power and means a person may have. The term “able” also means that there is
a given ability or choice to perform an action, thus meaning that free will goes hand in hand
with the ability to perform said action of the desired choice. This perspective adequately
represents the views of determinism and compatibilism in terms of free will theory.
The theoretical foundations regarding the proper ways to view the problem of free will
allow for the problem to be viewed in depth. Through the terminology and theories used to
describe the problem of free will it is clearly shown that the problem can be viewed in
numerous ways. Ultimately the approaches used to identify the problem of free will originate
from the partial correctness within each theory. Components of each theory are justified to
some degree but often leave room for arguments to arise against them. Each theory contains a
level of validity while also leaving room for some type of error. This factor is a key to the
problem of free will; convoluted theories are detrimental to all theories, thus causing problems
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The Green Ranger: aka Johnny Cash
Metaphysics Final Paper
Dr. Kirby
4/9/12
in trying to justify them. The problem of free will presents great challenges to philosophers
based on the notion that a number of theoretical approaches lend a hand in trying to justify the
existence of free will, while all of these theories add a component to justify free will, they also
conflict with each other causing the problem of free will to remain a difficult problem to justify.
II
Now that respect has been paid by viewing the problem of free will the next step is to
theorize about solutions to solve the problem. With the major problem being that numerous
theories convolute the image of what the problem of free will is, the appropriate approach to
take is the figuring out which aspect of the problem to attempt to solve and clarify them. Since
most of the issues with the problem of free will contain questions of what sort of power and
control humans have in the process of making decisions an appropriate path to take attempting
to solve the problem is to understand the moral and ethical components of free will theory
itself. Also within the moral and ethical lines of free will theory another component is the
factor of cause and effect that decision making has within everyday life. By using these
guidelines as a means to solve the problem of free will the best path to take is to generate a set
of regulations for attempting to solve the problem, instead of creating an outright attempt to
solve the problem once and for all. Attempting the latter would only add to the initial problem
of free will, which is complex terminology and complicated ideas regarding what the
foundational elements of free will are. The proper way to attempt solving the problem of free
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The Green Ranger: aka Johnny Cash
Metaphysics Final Paper
Dr. Kirby
4/9/12
will is to first consider what is wrong with the solutions other philosophers have come up with
over time. After this it is useful to consider the position that free will is irrelevant in theory and
in practice over all. Once these factors have been examined it is possible for us to understand
why not having free will is not a strong possibility. Through these factors we can identify the
problem of free will and then create justifications of how to potentially solve the problems that
have been attributed to free will theory.
As stated previously the major problem of free will theory is the abundance of
ideologies that only provide partial support for the theory. By focusing on what generates the
problem (part one of this essay) an attempt can be made at solving the problem. The major
problems with the standard solutions to free will theory is that they point blank do not do a
good job of solving the problem, they offer accounts that either only sound correct or are not
believable at all. Libertarian views are known for this problem in the same manner as
compatibilist views are known for rejecting the appearance of any problem at all. One way at
addressing the issue is to look at the power, ability, and moral foundations of being responsible
agents, capable of independent thought and decision making. Focusing on the ability of moral
agents to make decisions allows for the problem of free will to be solved in a manner that is
relatable to the majority of people. Initially it is appropriate to understand that in this specific
case the entities capable of exerting free will thinking are morally responsible agents.
Emphasizing morally responsible agents strengthens free will theory by placing greater
importance on the issue of direct and indirect choice within free will theory; doing this allows
for the problems within the theory to be realistically solved. Ultimately the goal is to analyze
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The Green Ranger: aka Johnny Cash
Metaphysics Final Paper
Dr. Kirby
4/9/12
the moral and ethical components of free will in conjunction with figuring out a way to get rid
of circular elements of compatibilism and determinism.
In an attempt to find an answer that is aimed at solving the typical problems found in
free will theory several key components are necessary. Primarily any attempt at solving the
problem must be able to be conceptualized on a wide scale. Defining a method of solving a
problem that is limited in reach and scope does not adequately provide a solution to the
problem of free will. A conceptualized idea will allow for more people to view the idea and link
their support to the concept that the idea creates. Secondly any attempt at solving the
problem of free will must justify what the choices are within free will decision making,
identification of these choices in terms of moral conditions and possible outcomes is the proper
approach for this step. Lastly in an attempt to solve the problems presented by free will a viable
capacity regarding the limits of free will needs to be established. By doing this then the scope
of free will decision making is greater defined and less ambiguous. Advantages provided by
these three guidelines thwart conventional views of problem of free will by providing greater
definition to the theory itself and providing a revisionist view to the theory as well. From these
guidelines free will is defined as the capacity sentient beings have to recognize and respond to
moral and ethical considerations. These guidelines allow for us to understand why we are
morally responsible for the decisions we make and how they inherently qualify the existence of
free will.
Without free will moral and ethical responsibility are not inherent functions within
everyday life. It is the essence of having free will that justifies our moral and ethical stances on
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The Green Ranger: aka Johnny Cash
Metaphysics Final Paper
Dr. Kirby
4/9/12
issues. Application to realistic life events further proves that moral and ethical responsibility
are inherent within daily life, thus proving that free will exists. The best examples of these
events are ones in which people have the opportunity to make a decision with regards to
themselves that will only affect them personally; while other choices that involve multiple
people can be used as examples the nature of the choice involving more than one person brings
multiple levels of free will into the situation that can cause stress. Using singular examples
provides an appropriate setting of choice and decision making. It is not necessarily the
outcomes of choices we make that are the most important in the argument for the existence of
free will; instead it is simply the fact that choices do exist for people to make decisions about.
Examples of issues that clearly identify the combination of moral decision making and
free will include the abortion issue, drug and alcohol consumption, and a myriad of other
options. In the case of drug and alcohol consumption moral and ethical decision making is
inherent, thus causing free will to be applicable. Under regular circumstances it is a under a
person’s own consent to consume alcohol, upon agreeing to consume alcohol they are taking
part in a moral decision to alter their physical and mental being. Along with this moral decision
is the exertion of individual free will decision making and the acceptance of moral responsibility
for their actions. If the person were to get behind the wheel of a car after consumption then
they have made a decision widely viewed as a morally irresponsible one. By claiming the moral
and ethical status of the issue the ties to free will are inherent. The issue of abortion relates
greatly to the example of alcohol consumption. Within abortion the moral and ethical
considerations are abundant. Moral and ethical considerations are given to both the mother
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The Green Ranger: aka Johnny Cash
Metaphysics Final Paper
Dr. Kirby
4/9/12
and to the unborn fetus. By attributing morality in this sense free will also becomes a
component within the decision making process. The sheer mention of ethics and morality with
respect to an unborn child allows for free will decision making to come into the picture in the
same ways as discussed when attempting to solve the debate regarding the existence of free
will.
Logically it is just too difficult to separate ethics and morality from the debate regarding
free will. Since in the majority of philosophy ethical and moral guidelines are set and agreed
upon, and they are important factors in understanding free will, free will cannot easily be
argued. Regardless of the theoretical elements that are often used in an attempt to solve and
view the problem of free will it ultimately comes down to morality and ethics. If we are
unwilling to challenge the existence of ethics and morality then the challenges presented
attempting to claim a problem of free will, will fall short.
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The Green Ranger: aka Johnny Cash
Metaphysics Final Paper
Dr. Kirby
4/9/12
Works Cited
Van Inwagen, Peter. "How to Think About the Problem of Free Will." The Journal of Ethics: The
Metaphysics of Moral Responsibility 12.3/4 (2008): 327-41. Print.
Vargas, Manuel. "How to Solve The Problem of Free Will." The Philosophy of Free Will (2010). Print.
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