Susan Wolf Free Will Analysis

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True freedom is achievable by following one’s will. This will is determined by an individual’s desires. One can thus be truly free if they have the opportunity to follow that which they truly desire. Therefore, an argument regarding whether this leaves room for responsibility may arise given such an explanation. If one follows their desires, can they be held responsible for doing something they want, yet it might be harmful to other human beings. The argument is thus modified to define freedom as achieved when one follows what they desire in their real inner self. This type of freedom leaves room for responsibility and is thus one that is desirable. The fact that free will is compatible with determinism answers any questions that may arise regarding the origin of this true inner self. …show more content…
Free will is driven by an individual’s desires and the ability to act on them constitutes freedom. She states that each and every individual has two levels of desires. One level of desires consists of those which are inherent in an individual and the other level consists of those which are acquired or developed by the individual. The former classification consists of those behaviors that the individual might be born with and may mostly be as a result of biological or genetic factors. The individual might suppress or decide to nurture them. If he decides to nurture them, they then move on to the second level, which also consists of those he has acquired through time and decided to nurture (Wolf 425). The individual might go through considerable length to nurture the later desires, and therefore, this can be thought to be emanating from the deeper inner self. Therefore, free will is the ability to do what one really desires according to their inner
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