Ethics

One of the most discussed about concepts in philosophy, especially in modern societies where individual liberty and freedom are highly valued, is the concept of free will. This is because of the fact that the concept of free will is directly related to individual freedom. It is also true that there are conflicting views on free will, which can all be summarized into two big historical views the view of incompatibilism, and the view of compatibilism (Chapter 3, n.pag.).  This paper aims to look at the different views of freedom and free will in relation to the film The Village, which we actually viewed in class. The film entitled The Village is all about an isolated village located named Covington, located in the middle of the woods, and isolated from the towns. It is in this village where the elders (to whom the founders of the village are called) tried to make a utopian community, and where crossing the boundaries of the village off to the outside world may make the beasts exact revenge on the village itself (The Village n.pag.). The beasts are called in the film those we dont speak of, and are horrendous creatures that have in fact caused the murder of the father of the chief elder in the village. However, one of the members of the villagers dared to go out of the village, due to the fact that he wanted to look at the outside world, in addition to the medical constraints that the village is facing (medicines are only available in the towns) (The Village n.pag.).

A. According to some notions of freedom, the inhabitants of The Village are free.  Describe and articulate this point of view and what you take to be the strongest argument in its favor.

In this case, the members of the village are seen as free, because of the fact that they have created their own rules, and are free to do what they wish in the community, separate from the outside world, the town centers outside of the woods. There are some available notions of freedom which support the argument that the members of the village are free. One of the leading theories that support this notion is the theory of libertarianism, which states that we have free will, and determinism must be false (The Problem of Free Will and Determinism Chapter 3 n.pag.). This means that people have the free will to choose their actions, that they are the ultimate source of their actions, and that it is the agent (the maker of the action) who ultimately does his actions, is the cause of the event itself, and has the power to choose what actions would he want to do (The Problem of Free Will and Determinism Chapter 3 n.pag.). However, in the theory of libertarianism, it is important for the person to believe that heshe has free willed (The Problem of Free Will and Determinism Chapter 3 n.pag.). In the case of the members of the village, they have the free will to isolate themselves from the rest of the outside world, live in a community that they made themselves, and that they believe that they are actually free from the wicked places where wicked people live (the towns). However, this theory also believes that because people have free will, there is no determinism in our actions (The Problem of Free Will and Determinism Chapter 3 n.pag.), a reflection of the incompatibilism point of view (free will and determinism are not compatible). Another theory that supports the argument that the people of the village are free is the theory of compatibilism, which states that free will and freedom are not necessarily equal therefore, determined actions may actually become free actions (The Problem of Free Will and Determinism Chapter 3 n.pag.). In this case, this theory argues that there is a condition of could have done otherwise, which means that people still have the power to do actions other than what is directed upon them. This indicates that determined actions can also be free actions of individuals, having the freedom to do otherwise (The Problem of Free Will and Determinism Chapter 3 n.pag.). Applying this theory to the film The Village, the people of Covington is seen to have freedom, due to the fact that they have opted to live as a community isolated from the rest of the outside world. In this case, although their actions may still be determined by the laws and the sacred oaths of the elders, the members of the community still had the freedom to do otherwise, but have opted to be governed by it, making them free. Given all of these theories, I think that the strongest argument in favor of their freedom is the theory of compatibilism. This is because of the fact that the theory of libertarianism has limitations, for their actions are governed by the laws and the codes of the elders, which break into the free will of the members of the village. On the contrary, the theory of compatibilism offers an alternative view although their actions may be determined by the laws and the conventions of the village elders, they still had the power of could have done otherwise, and have only opted to follow the laws and the conventions of the village which they themselves believe in they have opted to live isolated from the outside world, and they have opted to refrain from going to wicked places where wicked people live.

B. According to other notions of freedom, however, the Villagers are not truly free.  (Recall, for example, the quote from the beginning of our book If we havent freely chosen the principles on which our thought and actions are based, our thought and actions arent truly free. p. 4)  Describe and articulate this point of view and what you take to be the strongest argument in its favor.

The theory of determinism states that determinism is true, so we have no free will, making the members of the village not free. There are many arguments that support this view, one of which is the concept of the consequence argument the past and the laws of nature cannot be changed, as well as their consequence (which happens to be our actions), therefore we cannot act freely (The Problem of Free Will and Determinism Chapter 3 n.pag.). In the case of the village, they cannot change the fact that the elders have founded the village, and are born into it therefore, they have no choice but to live inside the village and follow all of the existing rules and conventions, which is the consequence of them living in that village and born into it. Another argument is the concept of divine foreknowledge, wherein the divine knows what we will do in the future, and that we cannot do what God knows as what to do tomorrow therefore, we are not free to what we will do tomorrow (The Problem of Free Will and Determinism Chapter 3 n.pag.). In this case, I think that the strongest argument for it is the fact that the actions of the members of the village are consequences of the past (the elders disillusioned with the outside world and building the village), and the laws of nature (they are born into the village they cannot do otherwise), making them not free.

C. In your own view, are the Villagers truly free  Are they morally responsible for their choices and actions  How does their freedom compare to our own (i.e., are they any moreless free than we)

I personally think that the villagers are not free, due to the fact that they have been a victim of the consequences of the past and the laws of nature being born into the village, and required to follow the elders. I personally think that they are not morally responsible for their choices and actions, because they are determined upon by existing conventions and laws where they are born into. I also think that this is also the same with our own, for we are just born into the existing conventions, laws, culture and traditions of the society to which we belong it has been a product of historical processes and the laws of nature (which includes the survival of the species) therefore, we are just like the villagers, not free, trapped into our own conventions and laws.