Essay on Free Will - 776 Words

Free Will â€Å"Free Will and its effect on the Greeks, Christians, and Romans† Free will is defined as: Voluntary choice or decision; freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention (Webster’s Online Collegiate Dictionary). Free will had an effect on the Greeks, Christians, and the Romans. Three stories, Oedipus the King, the Bible, and the Aenied, respectively, that we have studied and that fall in each society are examples of how free will is altered by different societies and how it effects their lives. Oedipus the King was written by a Greek, Sophocles. During this time, the Greeks believed that everything was done for the gods, they did not have free will over their lives.†¦show more content†¦Adam and Eve have been told by God to not eat the fruit off of the tree in the garden: We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, nethier shall ye touch it, lest ye die†¦when the woman saw that the tree was good for food†¦she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat†¦God asked, Hast though eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat (Genesis 53 book 3)? God told Adam and Eve what to do, but he allowed them to make their own decisions and suffer the consequences of the choice that they made. They had free will to do as the wished and had an understanding God to watch over them and let them learn from their mistakes. The Aeneid was written by the Roman, Virgil. During this time, the Roman’s believed that they did not have free will, the gods told them what to do with their lives. Aeneas believed that his mission, to found a city that would be the Roman state, was imposed upon him by the gods. The god’s interpreter†¦has brought Commands down through the racing winds!†¦ With my very ears I drank his message in!†¦ I sail for Italy not of my own free will (The Aeneid 857 lines 468-75). The gods told Aeneas that he should found a city. He did not necessarily feel that he was forced, he just knew that what the gods told him to do was right.Show MoreRelatedFree Will And Free Choice1122 Words   |  5 Pagesknown permitted the choice, your free will grants you this privilege. Or does it? Free will is a false concept often confused with free choice. Free will does not truly exist, the limitations set by nature and the influence of other people hinder the ability to choose without the impact of past experiences. 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