Welcome back to another blog post by Matthew McKenzie. This time it is awareness of social science time. Most of the time I raise awareness of unpaid carers, especially when it comes to caring for someone with mental ill health.

As a carer of lived caring experience, being involved in the mental health system exposes you to psychology, psychiatry and even philosophy, although I was always a philosopher anyway.

It was only a matter of time before I wanted to blog about the human condition and how our environment influences our actions, especially if it comes to our mental wellbeing. Are we actually responsible for our choices? Or are these our own actions.

Check out my video on the 15 Differences Between Free Will vs Determinism

The debate between free will and determinism centers on whether human beings have genuine control over their actions or if every decision and event is predestined by prior causes. Free will emphasizes individual autonomy, proposing that people have the capacity to make choices independent of external forces or causal chains. This perspective supports the idea of personal responsibility and moral accountability, as it assumes individuals can act in ways that are not entirely dictated by genetics, upbringing, or circumstances. nature.

In contrast, determinism argues that all actions and events are the inevitable result of preceding conditions, governed by laws of nature, genetics, or environment. From this viewpoint, human behavior can be understood as the outcome of a causal chain, much like a domino effect, where every decision is shaped by prior experiences, biological factors, and external influences. Determinism challenges the notion of true autonomy, raising questions about the fairness of moral and legal judgments.