Free will Facts for Kids

Free will is the idea that you can choose what you do. It means you have the power to make different decisions and act in different ways. For example, if you choose to eat an apple instead of a banana, that's your free will at work.

When we say someone did something good or bad, it usually means they chose to do it. If people didn't have free will, then things like giving advice or telling someone not to do something wouldn't make much sense. Also, if there's no free will, then it's hard to say someone deserves praise or blame for their actions.

The idea of free will is a big topic in philosophy, which is about big questions like how the world works and what is right or wrong. It's also important in how we think about science.

In everyday life and in the law, we usually assume that people have free will. This means they are responsible for what they choose to do.

What is Free Will in Philosophy?
- Understanding Determinism
  - Hard Determinism: No Free Will?
  - Soft Determinism: Free Will is Possible
Free Will in Law
Free Will in Science
- Physics and Predictability
Images for kids
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What is Free Will in Philosophy?

Philosophers have thought about free will for thousands of years. One big question is whether our choices are truly free or if they are already decided by things that happened before.

Understanding Determinism

Determinism is the idea that everything that happens, including our choices, is already set in stone. It's like saying the whole universe is a giant machine, and once it starts, everything follows a set path. This idea has been around for a very long time.

Hard Determinism: No Free Will?

Hard determinism says that everything in the past completely decides what will happen in the future. Imagine a super-smart computer that knows everything about the universe right now. If hard determinism is true, that computer could predict everything that will ever happen, including every choice you'll make.

If this is true, then it means there's no such thing as free will. This view is called "incompatibilism" because it says free will and determinism cannot both be true at the same time.

Soft Determinism: Free Will is Possible

Many thinkers don't like the idea that we have no free will. So, they came up with "soft determinism," also called "compatibilism." This idea tries to keep the idea of determinism but still say that free will exists.

One famous philosopher, David Hume, believed in soft determinism. He thought that free will isn't about being able to make a different choice in the exact same situation. Instead, he said free will means you can act on your desires without being forced by something else.

Think of a dog tied to a cart. The dog can choose to follow the cart. It's still tied, but it freely decides to move with it. This is an old example from a philosopher named Chrysippos.

In 1884, a thinker named William James used the term "soft determinism." He believed that while some events are caused by previous events, other events might not be. He felt that if an idea about the world goes against our sense of right and wrong, we should be free to question it.

Free Will in Law

The law generally believes that people have free will. When a court looks at a case, its job is to figure out what a person did and why they did it. For example, if someone is accused of a crime, the court tries to find out two main things:

Did the person actually do the action?
Did they choose to do it?

The law doesn't usually get into the deep philosophical questions about whether free will truly exists. It just assumes that people make their own choices and are responsible for them.

Free Will in Science

Physics and Predictability

In the past, some scientists, like Democritus, thought the universe was completely predictable. They believed that if you had enough information, you could perfectly guess what would happen next.

However, modern science is a mix of ideas. Some scientific theories are deterministic, meaning they predict exact outcomes. But other theories are "stochastic," which means they involve chance or randomness. This mix makes the question of free will in science more complex.

Images for kids

A person jumping into water. This action might be seen as a choice made by their free will.
The movement of dominoes is completely decided by the laws of physics.
René Descartes was a famous philosopher.
Thomas Hobbes believed in a form of soft determinism.
Baruch Spinoza thought that free will does not exist.
Arthur Schopenhauer believed that our actions are not free, but our deeper will is.
Augustine of Hippo's ideas about free will had a big impact on Christian beliefs.
A carving of Maimonides in the U.S. House of Representatives.