The issue of freedom has always caused debates among philosophers, psychologists, and other scholars related to the field of social sciences. Some of the perspectives of studying freedom include compatibilist and libertarian conceptions. A significant feature of the libertarian theory of freedom is that it implies circumstantial and metaphysical freedom. Its major principle is that human choices are not determined by circumstances beyond an individual’s control (Muller, 2020). On the other hand, within the compatibilist framework, there is a constant conflict between free will and determinism. This theory suggests that there can be only “one future event or effect of the exercise of freedom” (Muller, 2020, p. 5). However, a human’s nature is too profound, and it is difficult to precisely predict a person’s behavior or choice in a particular situation. Therefore, in terms of predetermination and rationale of free choices of a human, it is possible to say that a libertarian view provides a broader perception of freedom.
Another argument in favor of the libertarian theory is that it appears to be more logical in terms of the responsible agent and morale. According to Yudanin (2020), the major critique towards the compatibilist view is that this framework does not explain how “a material and thus determined being” becomes an agent making a decision (p. 44). On the other hand, the liberalist theory suggests that the laws of freedom and the laws of morale are interconnected and cannot exist without each other (Nahme, 2019). Therefore, it is possible to conclude that choices and decisions mostly depend on the intelligence, character, and morale of an individual rather than particular circumstances and factors. Since compatibilism restricts freedom and insists on predetermination over a human’s consciousness, it is possible to consider libertarian conception a better account of freedom.
References
Muller, R.A. (2020). Grace and freedom: William Perkins and the early modern reformed understanding of free choice and divine grace. Oxford University Press.
Nahme, P.E. (2019). Hermann Cohen and the crisis of liberalism: The enchantment of the public sphere. Indiana University Press.
Yudanin, M. (2020). Animal choice and human freedom: On the genealogy of self-determined action. Rowman & Littlefield.