The Ideas of Causality and Free Will

The Ideas of Causality and Free Will

Babur Ilchi

       Which is correct? The pieced together, fated, inevitable determinism or the ever moving, shifting idea of Free Will? Or something else all together? Philosophers have been debating and arguing for such a time.  The idea of Determinism, or causality, is about the fixed path, how nothing is free, everything is set. Or Free Will, everything is undetermined, and the nature of man is mans course of action.

          Then there is the ever growing idea of Randomness. That everything just happens, as it happens, as the universe does it. But there is a crucial question. What if, you happen to be a man of religion? Where does God come into this? Is he passive, or controlling? Is he so Omniscient, so Omnipotent, that he is able to control the Randomness? If so, is it no loner Randomness? Or is it Causality? Or could it still be Randomness? If it is determined to be random, then is causality in effect? Or because it is random, it is supposed to be random, then is it? Is the totality of causality so much, that it overpasses even its own ideals? In terms, causality can determine anything, even Free Will, or Randomness. Randomness, an essence of the universe, is a continuum of Free Will. It allows what happens to happen, allows what doesn’t happen to happen. Randomness, in the essence, is to allow, to surrender to the universe, and allow what the universe happens to do happen.

          Causality, in itself, is a determining of everything. That you have no choice in the matter is a difficult thing to accept. A person new to the idea of causality may reject it totally. For these persons, I give an example: A person is confronted with two books. This person takes the left book. Why? He could have chosen the right book, but didn’t. There could be a million different reasons why. The author, perhaps, was his favourite. The cover was appealing. The title was exciting. He may need the book to finish a collection. He might gift it to someone who really wanted it. It may have been a childhood favourite. All these factors, they determine, they cause your choice.

          Free Will is the idea that everything is chosen by the conscious mind that all decisions made are made by human conscious, nothing else. No choices made by someone else, no subconscious, no affiliate of God, the Universe, or the Sky. It is, however, in my view, an inaccurate view of humans. Humans, they always have choices made by someone else. We always worry. If we were at a clothing store, and we were to buy something, first thought that comes to mind is usually, what will others think? This alone is proof that we do not make our own choices, that we do not govern our own choices, that millions of factors, from what you’re wearing, to what you’re going to wear, is affecting the choices you make, and the choices around you. All of these decisions are made by an upper idea, an upper forming, a creator, a God.

          I now conclude this essay, having stated all three major beliefs of humans, Causality, Free Will, and Randomness. I myself, should have made my decision clear, due to the amount of times I have referenced it in all my paragraphs. The idea of Causality, the thought, is an idea against human ideal, to be able to choose yourself. I leave you to your thoughts, and let you choose what you believe.