Journal 9

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.

Othello had free will to choose who he wanted to believe, Iago or Desdemona. He chose to believe Iago, even though it was the wrong choice. He let Iago get to him, but in the end, Iago could not force him to do anything, it was his own choice. It was not fate that led him to do what he did; it was free will that had him do what he did. He was influenced by others, but it was not them making the decision for him.

Determinism was present in Othello’s life. His fate was inevitable because of the influences are him. He was unable to have free will because jealousy was able to go and over take him easily. It is obvious that determinism was present because everything worked out in a way that went against Othello. If this was not fate, these acts would not have happened. They were predetermined and Othello had no control over what happen in the story.