free will

Also known as freedom of the will, freedom of the Will

ability of agents to be the ultimate source or originator of their choices, free from external determination

AI overview

Free will is the ability to make choices that genuinely originate from yourself rather than being determined by external forces or circumstances beyond your control. It matters because it relates to fundamental questions about whether you're truly responsible for your actions and decisions, or whether everything you do is ultimately predetermined.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Image: FreeWillTaxonomy4.svg

Show 2 more facts

Stack Exchange tag: philosophy.stackexchange.com/tags/free-will
Commons category: Free will

Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~40 min read

Article

A dirt jumper performing a trick, according to some interpretations, is the result of free will.

Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choose between different possible courses of action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral responsibility, or (c) be the ultimate source or originator of their actions. There are different theories as to its nature, and these aspects are often emphasized differently depending on philosophical tradition, with debates focusing on whether and how such freedom can coexist with physical determinism, divine foreknowledge, and other constraints.