Throughout history, the problem of free will vs. determinism has sparked major debates between philosophers. Determinism is the belief that all things, including human behavior, are casually determined in a manner that they could not be otherwise. Indeterminism is the view that some things, possibly human will and behavior, are free from casual determination (Questions that Matter 420). Though this problem raises many issues in itself, it also sparks many questions and arguments concerning other topics, such as religion and morality. To believe in free will is not to say that human behavior is random or uncaused. It simply means that, to some extent, people have control over their actions. In addition to other factors, external and internal, people have the freedom to choose what actions they will take. The mere fact that man is aware of cause and effect indicates that he in some way takes part in the process. Is man merely a pawn in the world of cause and effect? If so, then what is the purpose of man's ability to reason and calculate outcomes in his mind when he cannot act on his own reasoning, but is forced to follow some predetermined path?.
From a determinist point of view, if certain causes lead to certain results, then similar causes should always lead to similar results. Yet, anyone can see that this is not the way the world operates. For example, a set of twins, though they have very similar backgrounds, might decide to take completely different paths. Though their experiences are not exactly the same, they are more similar than most sets of two people. Therefore, if all things are casually and systematically determined according to the rules of cause and effect, then the twins should act in similar ways and live similar lives. But, there are always exceptions to this rule. Why? Could it be that there is some undetermined factor that allows two apparently similar people to act in such different ways? Isn't the most reasonable explanation that free will is the element that allows flexibility of choice? Often, the free will vs.
