For as long as I can remember, I have been taught to be thoughtful in my actions; consider the consequences, the pros and cons, determine whether something is “worth it,” and think about other ways I could execute said thing. But how to do all this?
When I was around 13 my dad introduced me to the idea of free will and how I could think about it in my day-to-day life. I did not entirely comprehend it then, and I still don’t. The one thing I’m certain of is the textbook definition: The ability to make choices that are not determined by prior causes. Essentially, we can act however we want, not influenced by past events.
I, being a 13-year-old girl, thought it was cool to know about this. I carried it with me throughout middle school, thinking about it when I decided on a multiple-choice test or picking what to eat for lunch. I would always have this thought: You have free will, Finley. Never let them know your next move. But as I matured, I started to think less about it. I fell into a steady pattern of school life, and it eventually faded into a dark corner of my mind. That is until the TikTok and Instagram trend of “Never let them know your next move” became a thing.
I’ve heard those words before, in my own head! I thought. There’s a difference now, I don’t entirely believe them. I don’t feel free will in everything that I do. My answers to multiple-choice questions on tests are determined by what I remember and what I studied that previous night. My lunch choices are dependent on what I ate for breakfast, or didn’t, or what I’m doing later in the day. All these basic things in my life are determined by a previous event or something I had been thinking about.
That’s where the idea of Determinism shows up. It is the idea that every event, including human actions, is the necessary result of preceding events.
We can understand this by comparing it to the domino effect. If one is pushed over, it will cause the next one to fall, and then the next, over, and over, etc. Or when choosing music to listen to. Your decision is based on your mood or energy level. Happy = Taylor Swift, sad = Lana Del Ray, lazy = Laufy, energetic = Crystal Castles. Essentially, everything is governed by a cause and effect.
As I worked my way through freshman year I started to believe more in determinism. I didn’t discount free will, but it was not my main philosophical belief. Some might call me a Compatibilist – the philosophical belief of compatibilism.
It argues that free will and determinism are compatible, suggesting that while the universe operates under a law-like order, some human actions are genuinely free. Compatibilists believe that even if our actions are determined, we can still have moral responsibility for them. This is because some actions originate from our internal factors, which distinguishes them from actions determined by external forces.
As a result of my newfound philosophical belief, I questioned many of my actions and wondered if what I did was free or predetermined. Or rather both?
A recent example is when I worked to get my driving permit. I decided not to take the test at the Pasadena DMV since many people I knew had failed there. After completing a popular online driver’s education course, I ignored my friends’ advice not to study and chose to prepare thoroughly. I spent hours on practice tests and read the driver’s handbook five times. I went into the DMV confident and passed on my first try.
What I failed to mention is that all my friends who had used the same online course and gone to the Pasadena DMV and did not study for the knowledge test had failed the first time.
The question remains whether or not the outcome of me passing the test on the first try was a result of determinism or free will. Some may argue that because I had the knowledge of my friends’ experiences it has to be determinism. Others could say that because I chose to study, of my own volition, against my friends’ suggestions, and deviated from the path traveled by others, I exerted free will.
All this to say, I believe that determinism and free will can coexist. That compatibilism is the middle ground between the two philosophies, usually being the best to live by.
To be thoughtful is to consider the consequences, the pros and cons, and determine whether something is “worth it”. To do this you have to be able to distinguish determinism from free will and realize that sometimes they can work together.
