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The 's Theory Of Free Will And Mental Illness

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Sartre’s stance states that humans have free will and that we are responsible for the entire human race, studies of the brain, however, prove that we are also influenced by many other factors and even the brain itself. Therefore, we cannot be held accountable for all our actions. Our criminal justice system has been plagued with the ideas of an individual’s free will and mental illness, Sartre’s theory of free will states that humans are free to do anything we please and at any time and that we are responsible for the entire human race. This theory has many flaws and scenarios that it fails to combat and satisfy. In reality, we are not free, but bound by our morals, laws, and even our health.

In the article titled Brain on Trial, the…show more content…
This was due to the brain chemistry of the patients, Pramipexole works like dopamine, guiding a person’s decision making; by consuming this drug under certain circumstances, it promotes hyperactivity and prevents the person from stopping or resting. There is also a link to this when a person is lacking energy or nutrition. Recently, a man who was stranded at sea for 13 months found his way home to his coastal village in Mexico, subsisting only on fish scales. Jose Salvador Alvarenga explained that his body knew that it needed the energy to survive. Thus, he developed a craving that would give the essential nutrients he needs to survive. This action was not done out of free will, but rather is a way in which Jose’s body maintained homeostasis. Actions cannot always be deemed as deliberate, they can be onset by abnormalities in what we consume or in the brain itself.
In other ways, external influences, such as the people in our life can affect our decisions as we progress through our lives. For instance, a person who has friends or family that smoke, drink or do drugs is more likely to follow in the same fashion. Sartre’s theory neglects this factor completely, which hinders the realism of his viewpoint on the idea of free will. He ignores the fact that a human acquires the knowledge of those around them, how humans make decisions based on what they learn in school, home, and the workplace. Humans do not have free will due to the fact they are a learning species,
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