Journal #9 - Free Will vs. Determinism
Free Will - The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.
Iago: “'tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our
gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners” (1.3 361-3).
Determinism - The philosophical doctrine that every event, act, and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedents, such as genetic and environmental influences, that are independent of the human will.
Othello: “Yet ‘tis the plague of great ones … ‘tis destiny unshunnable, like
death” (3.3 313-16).
Using the above definitions, write a paragraph that argues in support of each of the terms. In your paragraphs, use specific examples from Othello to support your ideas.
- Free Will is the power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will. This definition is played out throughout the play Othello. One is given the gift of free will so that they have the chance to set up and play out their own lives in the ways that they please. No one wants their life to be completely controlled by someone else, so we are given this right to control it ourselves. For example, Othello chooses to kill his wife because he believes that she has committed adultery. This is his own choice and he truly believes that this is the solution to his problems. He makes this decision without fate or divine will.
- Determinism is the philosophical doctrine that every event, act, and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedents, such as genetic and environmental influences, that are independent of the human will. This definition is also well explained through the play Othello. One could argue that Othello was driven to kill Desdemona as a result of the human will, and that it was his fate/destiny to kill her and later kill himself. Othello was poisoned by the lives of his “honest” friend Iago. Iago was responsible for all the corruption and lies that made Othello believe that his wife was unfaithful, while in reality she was innocent and naïve.
