Free will has long been sought after by the general public and philosophers alike. “Free Will” as a philosophical term describes one’s ability to make choices based on a plethora of choices. Almost every philosopher has had an opinion on just how much free will an individual truly has, with some ruling free will as an illusion and others commenting on how an individual has absolute free will; but, the individual also has ideas and notions which keep certain urges at bay. Plato, one of the first ever philosophers, has even commented on the notion of free will. Plato believed in the concept of free will; although, man would still be held responsible for his actions.
Free will and moral responsibility have gone hand in hand since the conception of the idea. Moral responsibility is believed to be imperative to free will and has been intimately debated for millennia. Most philosophers in ancient times believed man to have control over his/her destiny. Nothing was pre-determined by the fates. The very notion of the fates is in fact, fiction. Most ancient thinkers even went as far as to say no one’s destiny was in the hands of arbitrary gods, a result of logical necessity, or by determinism. These notions would indicate a predisposition for someone’s fate. This would actually hinder the idea of free will.
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"Freedom: An Essay on Plato".
Usually, any form of debate between two or more philosophers concerning the notion of free will has usually resulted in more of a debate concerning causality, determinism, or necessity. Since all of these ideas are seen as advocates against free will, usually philosophers try to determine why free will couldn’t exist. Typically, however, these debates are philosophers trying to make sense of determinism. So, free will is actually a combination of two different concepts. The first of which is, what exactly is the definition of free will? Secondly, which forms of determinism are being affected?
Plato commented on the freedom of the apology in his conversations for the avocation of free will. Plato even went as far as to write The Apology of Socrates, which resulted in a book more or less read as one big dialogue. Plato begins with commenting on his speech capabilities. He notes that Socrates is accused of two things in his speech. Socrates is accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and of atheism. This concept seemed rather foreign at the time. Socrates was not accused of believing in other gods, as was more traditional of the time, but instead of not believing in any gods at all. Socrates doesn’t necessarily care about these two charges. But, Plato takes this information and gathers that the power of the apology can actually give a person limited free will. Assuming the affected part accepts the apology, a person could get away with a lot. This however, is not indicative of the certainty of the public perception of innocence or forgiveness.
Socrates does however make an interesting point in this apology. Not by what he says necessarily; but, by his actions. Socrates has an apparent attitude towards death, power, and wealth of which shows his moral free will. He does not seem to care about death, power, or wealth. This, in his mind, makes him free. His freedom, in turn, gives him free will. This overall lack of caring for these items gives him the ultimate freedom.
Plato comments in another speech called: Phaedo, of how a real philosopher should welcome death. This notion should not be indicative of suicide; rather, a real philosopher should be free and have free will. In order to be free, a person must first rid themselves of certain desires or fears. If a person fears death, they are not free and cannot do as they please for they will constantly be hindered by the notion of death. Socrates even chimed in to claim that real philosophers spend their entire life welcoming death.
For a philosopher to be scared in the face of death would surely be an unique and unpleasant sight, at least according to Socrates. Socrates also begins to reason that real philosophers should also separate themselves from Earthly pleasures such as: food, drink, sex, or fancy clothing. This is to rid themselves of temptation and to clear their minds to the best of their ability.
In Symposium, a piece of work from Plato, Plato comments on “a slavish and illiberal devotion to the individual loveliness of a single person or institution.” In this passage, Plato refers to freedom once more. By severing the ties of one’s feelings towards places or material possessions one is able to entertain the notion of freedom, unlike those who are attached to these objects. People in this position are free and able to do as they wish. Through ridding themselves of the shackles which normally bound an individual through emotion, the ideals of philosophers aid in the cause of freedom. Philosophers must not remain shackled in this way; yet, they must remain free and unable to be hindered by the process of attachment.
The cave, a story of which stands as an allegory, was written by Plato demonstrated how a man can be freed from their shackles. Plato enjoyed the notion of having a person free themselves from an array of vices. Though Plato realized not everyone in life would be able to do this, he believed more people should have the knowledge of how to free themselves.
Free will can only be obtained through ridding oneself of their attachments in life. By letting go of things such as fear, a person is able to remove their metaphorical shackles which bound them to humanity. Philosophy is about reaching above the traditional transcendence of humanity and looking to navigate through concepts not yet understood by the public. Free will is one of these concepts; misunderstood.
- Elliott, R. K. (1967). “Socrates and Plato’s Cave”. Kant-Studien 58 (2): 138.
Watt, Stephen (1997), “Introduction: The Theory of Forms (Books 5–7)”, Plato: Republic, London: Wordsworth Editions, pp. pages xiv–xvi,ISBN 1-85326-483-0 - Griffith, Jeremy (2003). A Species In Denial. Sydney: WTM Publishing & Communications. p. 83. ISBN 1-74129-000-7.
