Miles Corwin's Essay: The Problem Of Free Will

610 Words2 Pages

The fact that the reader is reading this paper must mean they chose to do so, right? Or was this all predetermined based on their past experiences? Human beings want to believe that they are in control of their lives, and have the ability to decide between choices. To be in control is what everyone wants, because it makes them feel safe, at ease; but this may not be the case. According to the article “The Problem of Free Will”, to believe in free will is to believe that the future is more open rather than determined, and that the agent has the power to shape it (4). Then there are determinists, who think that this argument is unpersuasive because of the insufficient evidence. The article features a scenario in which a girl has had arachnophobia her whole life. …show more content…

Another case would be the Robert Harris article by Miles Corwin, that analyzes the murder of two teen boys. In this case, it was discovered that Robert Harris and his brother Daniel tried to rob a bank using the teen’s car. Robert promised he wouldn't kill them and they had no other choice to believe him. As they walked away, he shot one of them. The other then ran, but was shot and killed. Robert then came back and killed the almost lifeless boy. Devastating enough, he then proceeded to eat the lunch the two left behind, 15 minutes following the crime. Normally, someone would say that what he did should never be forgiven because he chose to kill them, but after learning about his childhood, one would argue otherwise. Based on the terrible events that occurred throughout his life, for example the hatred and the multiple assaults, that person would then think about the fact that maybe it wasn’t his fault; that maybe he didn’t have control over his impulses. No matter how many examples are given, the debate never ceases and the real question pops up. Is what the person believes fact, or

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