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Essay / The central conflict behind free will: the problems of...
If the future is already determined, people cannot control their own destiny. From a religious perspective, God knows the fate of our own lives, which means we have no ability to change them. James Rachels mentions a famous mathematician named Pierre-Simon Laplace. He believed that we could predict the future of the universe if we knew everything about its current state. The author claims that another underlying cause of behavior lies in neurological events in the brain. A scientist named José Delgado conducted experiments with various animals to prove that certain behaviors are caused by stimulation of the brain. Eventually, he applied electrical stimulation to humans and found that they would create reasons for their behavior, suggesting that every action serves a purpose. Another scientist known as Kornhuber performed similar experiments using an EEG that allowed him to observe brain activity before decisions were made. When it comes to psychology, social, environmental and genetic factors play a major role in behavior. It also supports the idea that people do not have free will. Famous theories relating to behaviorism and