Determinism and Causality

Determinism as an idea is dependent on causality being true. Causality is simply the relationship between cause and effect. It is one of the fundamental beliefs that allow the scientific method to work. That and there is an objective reality. If something is moved with x amount of force it should move y distance, depending on other variables(e.g. friction, mass, etc). Most of us happily accept that this is the way the world works, outside the realm of quantum physics [2]. If every effect has a cause, we can predict the world around us and come to knowledge about how to operate in it. A farmer uses it to grow crops and an engineer to build bridges. If I add one and one together in a calculator 100 times I will always get 2. So determinism applies this belief to everything in the world and most importantly ourselves. The belief being that our brains are biological and therefore physical and therefore subject to cause and effect. If something is subject to cause and effect, it is determined by its causes. The farmer’s crops won’t grow if they aren’t watered, the bridge will collapse if the supports can’t maintain its weight and the calculator will give 3 if you give it 1 + 2. This is where we run into problems with free will, because if our brains and bodies are controlled by causes then we don’t have any control.

Causality is a widely accepted belief, but so is libertarianism. Many people often hold these two beliefs simultaneously in their minds, which isn’t rational. They directly contradict each other. So why does the idea of libertarianism persist so much in society?

Arguments against determinism

The biggest argument against determinism and for free will is one based on religion. That is the existence of an incorporeal[3] soul. This sidesteps the problem because something incorporeal, by its very nature of not being physical, is able to break any scientific law. This allows it to be exempt from any rationality based on scientific principles. This comes into a wider argument on materialism[4] vs dualism[5]. There are many alternatives to these two schools of thought so don’t believe these are the only options, but they are the predominant ones involved in this argument. As much as I love discourse, this is an exploration in its own right. So I won’t be addressing it here. For those who believe the incorporeal soul is the source of our free will, the following arguments can still provide value, but if your beliefs are well rooted in dualism, they are unlikely to sway you. I will say however that I look forward to exploring this at a later date. For now, let us look at some of the common objections to determinism, without getting into dualism and theology [6].

“But I can raise my arm like this right now, look that’s free will”. Well no, this is completely compatible with determinism. Ask yourself why you raised your arm. Most likely it was an attempt to show off your free will? Why did you want to show off your free will? Because you were reading an argument against it. There is a very clear chain of cause and effect here. A good exercise is to questions where your thoughts came from, usually, you can trace them back to a cause or you don’t know and they just appeared in your head? Is something appearing in your head free will? No, more likely it’s a cause you’re not aware of and even less likely its random which isn’t free will.

“But I did not have to act on these thoughts” — Well then let’s go again, why did you choose to act on this thought and not others? Were you even conscious of that decision for one?

A thought experiment suggested to me by a close friend can highlight this quite well. First, think of a city. Settle on the first one that comes into your mind, no pressure. Now ask yourself why you thought of that city and not another? The answer usually has something to do with the relevance of the city to your life, which assists in making it easier to recall. Doing this experiment with said friend, I thought of San Fransisco. The catch being, I was going on holiday there the following week. The main question of this thought experiment being: was there any free will involved when that city came into your head? I’d argue no.

The best argument I’ve heard for libertarian free will is simply, it undeniably feels like it. Which is true. But our consciousness is little understood, and our brains are known to play countless tricks on us. False memories, optical illusions, ghost itches, etc. Experiencing something doesn’t make it true. Our dreams and imaginings only happen in our head and they feel very real when we are experiencing them.