{"id":114892,"date":"2023-10-12T15:55:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T19:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=114892"},"modified":"2026-04-27T13:03:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T17:03:47","slug":"free-will-in-philosophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/free-will-in-philosophy\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Will in Philosophy: Sam Harris Explains 3 Views"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do we have free will<\/a>? What are the various views and arguments entailed in the debate?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philosophers continue to wrestle with the issue of free will, discussing what it is and whether or not human beings have it. Sam Harris explains that three points of view have emerged: determinism, libertarianism, and compatibilism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more to learn about these three schools of thought regarding free will in philosophy and to get Harris’s take on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Free Will in Philosophy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Harris argues that we don\u2019t have free will<\/a>, his argument draws on a very specific definition of free will. Harris characterizes free will as a state in which we\u2019re conscious of, and have control over, the processes that give rise to our thoughts and decisions<\/strong>. He contends that, if we don\u2019t have the ability to observe and influence the processes behind our thoughts, then we can\u2019t really have ultimate responsibility over what we think and do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Though it\u2019s true that there are many ways to think about free will in philosophy, philosopher Eddy Nahmias argues that there’s also a longstanding consensus<\/a> among philosophers about how it\u2019s reasonable to define free will\u2014a consensus that Nahmias says is often ignored by those who say free will is an illusion<\/a>. This consensus is that we have free will to the extent that we have and exercise a capacity for conscious deliberation, rational thinking, and self-control. Nahmias notes that these components of free will aren\u2019t mysterious but instead are all functions that both psychologists and neuroscientists can study scientifically.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harris explains three schools of thought regarding free will in philosophy: determinism, libertarianism, and compatibilism. We\u2019ll explore each of them and how they answer the question of whether or not we have free will\u2014as well as Harris\u2019s take on each of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View #1: Determinism: External Factors, Not Free Will, Drive Our Behavior<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Determinists believe that we don\u2019t have free will and that our thoughts, desires, intentions, and choices are determined by events outside our control<\/strong>. Harris explains that for determinists, every event in the universe\u2014including each of our thoughts, decisions, and actions\u2014is caused by a long chain of events. We could theoretically trace this chain back to the beginning of our lives (or even back to the beginning of the universe<\/a>) to find an explanation for any decision we make. Determinists argue that if a decision is caused <\/em>in this way by events that came before it, then it\u2019s not made freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harris\u2019s take<\/strong>: Harris adopts a determinist point of view. He writes that an array of external factors\u2014events and influences that are outside of our control<\/em> (like what our parents taught us when we were children) or even outside of our consciousness<\/em> (like the subtle messages we\u2019ve received from books, TV, and movies)\u2014have conditioned our brains in precisely the right ways for it to make the decisions that we feel we\u2019ve made freely. Because he contends that our thoughts and intentions are fully caused by these past events and by the systematic way that our brains respond to them, through processes that we can\u2019t consciously access, Harris concludes that we don\u2019t have free will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View #2: Libertarianism: External Factors Affect, but Don\u2019t Determine, Our Actions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Libertarians\u2014referring to the philosophical view, not the political philosophy of the same name\u2014believe that events are not<\/em> predetermined and that we do<\/em> have free will<\/strong>. Harris explains that libertarians reject the idea of determinism: They don\u2019t believe that all of the events in the universe, including our choices and actions, are caused by past events. Libertarians also don\u2019t believe that our thoughts and decisions are fully explainable in physical terms: by the systematic ways our brains respond to past events and to influences outside of our consciousness and control. Instead, libertarians contend that while these influences affect<\/em> our thoughts and behavior, we\u2019re ultimately free to make our own decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harris\u2019s take<\/strong>: As a determinist, Harris agrees with libertarians on incompatibilism<\/em>: the idea that free will and determinism<\/a> are inherently contradictory. But he disagrees with them on indeterminism<\/em>: the idea that not everything is predetermined. Harris also rejects the libertarian idea that human behavior isn\u2019t fully explained by the physical cause and effect that occurs when our brains respond to influences outside of our consciousness or to stimuli outside our bodies. He also objects to the way that some libertarians account for this complexity by arguing that we aren\u2019t just physical entities and may even have something like a mind or a soul in addition to our physical matter. Harris rejects this possibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View #3: Compatibilism: External Factors Cause Our Behavior, but So Does Free Will<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Compatibilists believe<\/a> that we have free will and they also believe in determinism. That means they accept free will and determinism as compatible <\/em>truths<\/strong> (unlike both determinists and libertarians, who believe that these two are incompatible). According to Harris, compatibilists contend that past events determine our decisions and<\/em> that those decisions are still our own. This means that compatibilists define free will differently than Harris does: as an ability to act in ways that are consistent with your preferences and reasoning, without outside forces stopping you. In other words, compatibilists believe that while your actions are caused by prior events, they\u2019re also free as long as they accord with what you consciously decide and desire<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harris\u2019s take<\/strong>: Harris rejects the idea that choices can be both caused and free because he says that this point of view can\u2019t be reconciled with what scientists have discovered about the brain. In particular, he writes that compatibilism doesn\u2019t make sense if our thoughts and choices are caused by unconscious<\/em> processes, which in turn are influenced by myriad external factors. He argues that simply becoming aware of a choice after it\u2019s been determined by the brain, and then acting on it, isn\u2019t the same thing as freely and consciously choosing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Complicating Harris\u2019s Views on Determinism, Libertarianism, and Compatibilism<\/strong>

Harris presents a succinct overview of the determinist, libertarian, and compatibilist ideas of free will, but many experts view these theories in ways that differ substantially from Harris\u2019s interpretations.

Determinism<\/strong>: Philosopher Mark Balaguer writes in his book (which is also titled Free Will<\/em><\/a>) <\/em>that the philosophy<\/em> of determinism rests on the assumption<\/a> that the science<\/em> of determinism is true\u2014but that\u2019s still up for debate. Classical physics posits that determinism is true. Yet as Stephen Hawking explains in A Brief History of Time<\/em><\/a>, modern quantum mechanics is probabilistic<\/a>, not deterministic: It explains what will probably<\/em> happen next, not what will <\/em>happen next. This means that at least some things aren\u2019t caused by prior events but just happen. Balaguer characterizes a determinist argument (like Harris\u2019s) as fatally flawed because determinism is still unproven and thus can\u2019t provide proof that free will doesn\u2019t exist.

Libertarianism<\/strong>: Philosopher John Lemos argues that Harris\u2019s critique oversimplifies libertarian arguments<\/a>. He says that instances in which we deliberate between two conflicting options, like stepping in to prevent a mugging or continuing on to work, are examples of cases in which we have free will and can therefore be held morally accountable for our actions. Lemos adds that Harris seems to be implying that all scientific evidence currently points toward determinism when that\u2019s actually not the case: In fact, he says, some scientific studies throw these conclusions into doubt and show that the brain doesn\u2019t necessarily work according to linear cause and effect.

Compatibilism<\/strong>: According to philosopher Daniel Dennett, compatibilism is a point of view that\u2019s separate from determinism and indeterminism<\/a>, so Harris makes a mistake in rejecting compatibilism just because he believes that determinism is true. Dennett also criticizes Harris\u2019s portrayal of the compatibilist idea of free will as doing what we want to do, as well as Harris\u2019s rejection of the idea on the grounds that this isn\u2019t absolute freedom (a theoretical form of free will where we could choose our desires). Dennett writes that in arguing that this is a failing with compatibilism, Harris has created a straw man version of compatibilism so he can dismiss it. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How Do We Think About Free Will in Our Everyday Lives? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s useful to understand how philosophers talk about free will, there\u2019s another important explanation of free will that Harris examines (and ultimately rejects): free will as we think of it in our everyday lives. According to Harris, the popular idea of free will is that we\u2019re the true source of what we think and feel<\/strong>. <\/strong>In other words, we make our choices freely, and our thoughts, intentions, and desires originate with us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This idea enables us to feel agency and responsibility for our behavior. According to Harris, most people are familiar with this idea of free will, and it shapes our sense of self and agency. But Harris points out that this idea of free will is substantially more expansive than the most popular argument in favor of free will among philosophers: the compatibilist idea of free will as the ability to act on the thoughts and intentions that occur to us\u2014after they\u2019re caused by outside events and influences\u2014without anything stopping us. Harris writes that the popular idea of free will falls apart if we accept that our thoughts are shaped by causes we can\u2019t control<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Some experts believe that how people actually think about free will is much simpler than the definition that Harris believes people are working with. One psychologist writes that most people define free will as the ability to make choices that fulfill their desires<\/a>, without constraints\u2014a definition that sounds a lot more similar to the compatibilist definition of free will than Harris contends. In fact, philosopher Shaun Nichols explains that most people\u2019s intuitions about themselves and their decisions align with compatibilism<\/a>. That might be why, even if we believe we\u2019re living in a deterministic world, we still feel that we\u2019re making our own decisions.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do Ordinary People Need to Worry About Free Will?<\/strong>

Harris devotes considerable attention to the ideas that ordinary people hold about whether we freely determine our thoughts, decisions, and actions. But one reviewer of Harris\u2019s book notes that it\u2019s a modern phenomenon<\/a> that ordinary people would have any ideas on the topic at all. For centuries, the question of whether we have free will was only relevant to experts in philosophy and religion, and public interest in the topic has been fueled by scientific progress<\/a>. 

Even as the average person becomes more aware that philosophers and scientists have proposed various theories about free will, cognitive scientist Jim Davies writes that maybe it doesn\u2019t matter<\/a> to the average person whether we have free will. A review of 150 studies with a total of almost 26,000 participants found that belief or disbelief in free will doesn\u2019t seem to affect individuals\u2019 antisocial behavior, morality, or conformity. This suggests that whether or not we believe in free will doesn\u2019t have practical consequences.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Read more to learn about these three schools of thought regarding free will in philosophy and to get Harris’s take on them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":29722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[1287],"class_list":["post-114892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philosophy","tag-free-will","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nFree Will in Philosophy: Sam Harris Explains 3 Views - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What's free will, and do we have it? The fascinating debate in philosophy goes on. 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