Volume-X, Issue-VI, November 2024 |
| স্বাধীন ইচ্ছা : একটি দার্শনিক পর্যালোচনা কৈলাশ মাহাত, রাজ্য সাহায্যপ্রাপ্ত কলেজের শিক্ষক, দর্শন বিভাগ, মহেশতলা কলেজ, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Received: 13.11.2024 | Accepted: 20.11.2024 | Published Online: 30.11.2024 | Page No: 26-32 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.10.issue.06W.003 | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
Does free will exist? This question spans from Philosophy to Psychology, Neuroscience and Religion. The ability to freely choose any one among various possible events is what defines free will. We feel that we have free will that we can make decisions according to our desires and act upon those decisions. However, a deeper exploration into the concept of free will reveals the absence of true freedom of will. Scientific experiments suggest evidence that free will may not actually exist. There are some neuroscientists who claim that our decisions are made subconsciously and therefore are beyond our control. As a result, there is no place for free will. Benjamin Libet, an American neuroscientist, demonstrated in 1980 that brain activity begins before we make a decision. Therefore, the outcome of brain activity is our decision-making. This phenomenon has been proven through testing with EEG machines. This scientific conclusion raises many doubts in our minds. In philosophical thought, free will is closely tied to moral responsibility. If everything were automatic and predetermined, then why do we praise moral actions and condemn immoral ones? If one cannot decide freely, then why should we praise or blame their actions? Without acknowledging free will, how would we explain creativity? Denying free will could also challenge the justice system, potentially encouraging many people toward social discord, which would oppose human welfare. Keywords: Free will, determinism, Benjamin Libet, Neuroscience, Compatibilism. |