Essay On Human Nature And Free Will

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Human Nature and Free Will
Human nature is about free will, and using one’s free will for good acts. We know free will exists because living things are being changed day after day. Any act, from walking across a room to deciding to eat a meal, is because of free will. We are given free will and with that, the ability to create our own, unique path in life. Free will provides human beings with freedom, judgement, and responsibility. Every human being is born with the capability to live a good, just life. However it is just as possible to live an immoral life led by bad choices. This notion of endless options in life is made possible by God’s gift of free will. No two human lives will ever be the same, because no two people will ever have the exact same experiences their entire lives. Every human being is shaped by experience, which comes from our actions, which are results of free will.
Aristotle’s discussions on free will came from his theory of the prime mover. In his book Physics, Aristotle theorized that everything is always in a constant state of change, or movement. When a pen falls of a table, it is changed because it is in a different location than it was previously and also possibly scuffed up from falling to the floor. If something is moved, or changed in its composition, there has to be an ultimate higher power, or mover, responsible. This is what Aristotle called the Prime Mover, referring to God. Aristotle believed the Prime Mover to be unchanging and infinite. He exists because in order for something to be changed, there must also be a master, unchangeable thing. There needs to be a start to the chain of events that is caused by the primary, unmoved mover, or God. Therefore, God is necessary for ...

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...g they need to live, and its effects can be seen in religion, ethics, and many facets of life. In most religions, people use free will to choose good over bad so that the can be closer to whatever higher power they believe in. They also use their reason because reason, or intellect, knows there is a God, the highest good, and will chooses this good. Similarly, ethics comes from free will because human beings try to consistently choose what is in most accordance with God. People can also choose not to believe in any religion or moral code at all. David Hume, defines liberty as the, “power of acting or of not acting, according to the determination of the will.” Aquinas similarly stated that human beings desire things, and make decisions to pursue these things. Being a human being means using free will for good and that is why free will is what human nature is.

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