Phi2010 Philosophy Research Project. Madison Lee. Free

Humans being desire to be the ones who decide what, when, where and how to do things, or it’s called the need for autonomy. Not to being mistaken as to be independent, the two researchers of self-determination, Edward L. Deci and Richard M Ryan clearly stated, autonomy means the “psychological need to experience self-direction and personal endorsement in the initiation and regulation of one’s behavior” (Reeve, 2015, p. 158). Behaviors are said to be autonomous when they are directed by our interests, it is believed that there are three experiential qualities that work together to further construe autonomy: internal perceived locus of causality (IPLOC), volition and perceived choice. IPLOC refers to one’s belief of the extent to which one’s actions are influenced by the self (internally), volition regarding to the feel of freedom, unpressured of willingness to participate in activity, and perceived choice is subjective experience that a person has flexibility in decision-making to whether act or not to act (Reeve, 2015, p.159).

Harry Frankfurt essay “Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person” is centered around two major ideas. First is a person’s will is a set of effective first-order desires, and the second is that a person is a creature that has second-order volitions. Frankfurt offes the concept of a person vested with first-order desires and second-order desires which play the major role in decision making process.

“Human agency in making choices” (Hutchinson, 2010): Every person’s life course is build up with his or her choices and actions (Hutchinson, 2010). The ability to make decisions or will power is the human agency, i.e. one can made decisions which completely changes

In the study of philosophy, Free will is defined as “The ability to choose, think, and act voluntarily. Many people wonder if they truly have free will to make their own choices, or is everything pre-determined for them in order to carry out their lifestyle. I’m sure we all wonder if our choices are correct or incorrect or if we are able to take control of our lives. Philosophers Hume and Holbach have concepts that seek to prove whether or not free will actually does exist and they both use their philosophical beliefs based on determinism in order to properly explore their concepts of free will. This paper will actively seek to explain both concepts and will expose what problems may arise from their philosophical theories of free will in relation

| If a person is motivated by an interest in changing things and influencing others.

This formulation introduces the concept of doing something for the right reason not for an ulterior motive. The character of the motive is what dictates the adherence to the imperative. This is possible with autonomy, the decision to act according to moral duty without outside influence.

volition" as a desire that some first-order desire become the agent 's will. Frankfurt defines a "person" as

The distinctive characteristic of humans is their ability to reason. According to Aristotle the function, or purpose, of a human being, is in fact, to do well at acting in accordance with reason (Irwin 13). Subsequently, within the realm of reasoning resides making choices with, and regard to, reasoning. So rational choices then also play a role in the fulfillment of human nature. Immanuel Kant depicted, free will, as something that is “ascribed to every rational being” (Brussel 215). If free will is the ability to act at one 's own discretion, then this enhances the idea that the ability to make choices is a right that belongs to every rational being. However, the most vital – and likewise idealistic – component of this notion is that all choices are governed by reason.

It has been debated over centuries whether us humans have control over our destiny, and if we are really able to decide on our own. The controversy between free will and determinism has been argued about for years. If we look into a dictionary, free will is define as the power given to human beings to be able to make free choices that is unconstrained by external circumstances or a force such as fate or divine intervention. Determinism is defined as a philosophical doctrine that every event, act, and decision is the inescapable consequence of antecedents that are independent of the human will. Determinism states that humans have no free will to choose what they wish. Due to this fact, contemporary philosophers cannot agree whether free will does exist, let alone it be a divine influence.

     Free will is one of the features that separates us as humans from animals and allows us to attain intelligent thought and reasoning. Of course, all of the features mentioned are unique to humans; the ability to exercise free will enables us to engage in all

At the heart of choice is the idea of “free-will”— “the power of an individual to make

These differentiating traits surround the notions of free will and desire. While it is no exclusive ability of a person to desire, the distinction comes from the order of desire one is capable of having. A first order desire is a very basic feeling to want or want not for something to occur. A creature who is only able to have first order desires will have no control over what s/he does, his/her actions will be controlled simply by the strength of their corresponding desires. A second order desire is the ability to want certain other desires or motivators. A creature who possesses the capability to have second order desires is one who demonstrates the uniquely human ability to reflect upon one’s self and want to make changes.

- Freedom: Not absence of obstacles to getting what we want. Eg: Slave to satisfying those appetite and impulses.

Voluntary acts are acts that are the opposite of involuntary acts. A voluntary act involves choice that human beings are only capable of. The choice that one makes is different from rage or desire. “Such actions, then, are mixed, but are more like voluntary actions; for they are worthy of choice at the time when they are done, and the end of an action is relative to the occasion” (Book III). True choice requires rational consideration, an ability unique to human beings, which also means that the human being choosing can verify that one action is preferable to another. An example of voluntary action is the decision to play a sport for school or not. Playing a sport for school may take time out of your studies, but at the same time, make you become better physically fit and an overall better person by learning things about yourself and about life. That student has to make that decision if he wants to feel better about himself physically or concentrate more on his