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How do determinism and free will interact with each other?

Selmer Peddel

Determinism is the idea that everything that happens is predetermined, or already decided, by outside forces. Free will, on the other hand, is the belief that we have the ability to choose our own actions and decisions.

Some people believe that these two ideas are contradictory, but they can actually work together in a way. Think of it like a choose-your-own-adventure book. The book may have a predetermined storyline, but you get to make the choices that lead you to different parts of the story.

In life, there are certain things that are predetermined, like the fact that we will all eventually die. However, we have the free will to make choices within the time we have. For example, we can choose to eat healthy and exercise to try to live longer, or we can choose to eat junk food and not take care of our bodies.

Determinism and free will are like two sides of a coin. We can't change the fact that some things are predetermined, but we can still make choices within our control. It's important to remember that our choices can also have consequences, both good and bad.

So when it comes to determinism and free will, it's not a matter of choosing one or the other. Instead, it's about recognizing that both ideas exist and finding a balance between them. We can't control everything in life, but we can control our choices and how we respond to the things that happen to us.