Free will and determinism

Start with the main positions

The mind map titled Free Will and Determinism is a useful starting point for comparing positions. It sets out determinism and libertarianism alongside claims about freedom and moral responsibility. As you follow the branches, note what each position says about whether actions are determined and whether people are responsible for them.

For a closer look at causation, open Determinism. It describes a view in which a set of conditions can produce only one possible outcome under fixed laws of nature. Compare that description with the choices discussed in the first map.

Follow the distinctions

Next, explore Free Will + Determinism. Its branches distinguish determinism from ideas such as predictability, religious predestination and fatalism. It also looks at actions and bodily movements, and at reasons and causes. Use these branches to practice explaining what makes the ideas different rather than treating them as interchangeable.

The map focused on philosophers and quotations includes free will, determinism, libertarianism and compatibilism, as well as a reference to John Locke's locked-room example. It offers another way to organize the positions you have encountered.

Connect choice and responsibility

The Free Will map that discusses receiving chocolate when unwell connects free will with moral responsibility and reactive attitudes. Another map with the same title asks whether choosing differently, including against one's desires, is the kind of freedom people want. Read these alongside the maps on determinism and consider how each frames the question of choice.

There are no quizzes listed on this page, but you can turn a map's branches into questions and use another map to compare your answers. These resources form the Free will and determinism section of the Metaphysics unit in Philosophy. Explore a branch and use it to organize your understanding of the positions.