Among the many voices of naturalism are those who teach the determinism philosophy. This metaphysical notion proposes that all events, including human behavior, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. Some philosophers have taken determinism to suggest that individual human beings possess no free will and, therefore, cannot be considered morally responsible for their actions.
The claim of determinism seems altogether self-defeating. The idea someone has freely chosen to believe that free choice does not exist is an incongruity. The only way a determinist can extricate themself from this dilemma is to deny that they freely chose to believe that free will does not exist. If this is the situation, the belief that free choice does not exist is a non-rational belief and must be discarded by all rational thinkers. Physics, chemistry, biology, and all matters of truth have determined that free will exists, which is a sensible process.
Rationality presupposes the existence of free will. The practice of evaluating evidence, considering perspectives, weighing possibilities, and utilizing logic to arrive at conclusions is all indicative of an autonomous being. Sovereignty is the opposite of force by physical demands. Additionally, if a person denies the existence of free will because of biological processes, and a second person affirms the sovereignty of individual will, it seems impossible to decide which is correct rationally. Hardwiring toward a predetermined conclusion is a type of reasoning that appears altogether irrational.
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