Free Will and Determinism
At the very beginning of the book, Free Will and Determinism, three characters (Frederick, Carolyn and Daniel) engage in a discussion on an issue involving a murder case. The murder case involves two eighteen year olds, Leopold and Loeb, whom kill a little boy and then are tried for it. As the book exemplifies, Frederick is a free-willist (believing in free will), Daniel a determinist (believing in no free will) and Carolyn a compatibilist (believing in free will and determinism coexisting). The problem arises during the murder discussion, with each of the three characters strongly maintaining their own different stance on the issue. Frederick retains his distinct view about the debate, while Daniel upholds his and Carolyn hers. In terms of this small selected argument introduced at the beginning of the book, is where the core of the problem is recognized. The compatibilist Carolyn believes that it should not be argued in terms of free will or determinism, but rather “in terms of” three main questions to explicate, do people have free will?, Is determinism true?, and are free will and determinism compatible? From these three questions stem the advancement of identifying any conflicts between free will and determinism and any possible solutions. These questions and problem itself happen to be extremely vital; because this is a subject matter that comes up often in our lives and one that many of us are able to understand the significance of. Free will can only exist in a deterministic universe; therefore free will is compatible with determinism.
Daniel, as mentioned earlier is a determinist. As a determinist, Daniel firstly believes that people have no control or free will over anything that they do. He mentions that a wide range of happen ...