Karma and Free Will

In this final lesson, we turn to the idea of free will and determinism, and the question as to whetehr we are masters of our own future or just powerless entities, commanded by our senses, doomed to follow some preordained path.   Students are often intrigued by the idea of free will, as I have had many wonderful discussions with them on this issue.  With our study of Karma still fresh in mind, the study of free will now has a whole new dimension to it, one that will give them a new perspective on this issue. In this assignment, students will use their knowledge of karma and various quotations from well known philosophers to create a written document that explores their personal view of free will.

Procedure

1.  Define free will and determinism with the class.  Without too much disucssion, make sure they have a working definition of these concepts.  Since students have already read “Kamma and Its Fruit”, this should be more  of a review. On page 2 of the article, the first full paragraph gives an excellent summary of the Buddhist view of free will and determinism.

2.  Hand out the list of Quotes about Free Will and Determinism.  Review each quote for comprehension.  Make sure students can identity which quotes are in support of free will and which hold a determinist point of view. 

3.  Ask students to review the quotations again on their own and circle their favorite one(s). 

4.  Ask students to write a personal response on their views about free will.  Using the quote(s) they circled, personal stories or anecdotes, instruct students to explore the issue of free will.  Page lengths and other requirements may vary, but students should use their favorite quote to either support or refute their position on free will.

Other recommended resources

Karma and Free Will 
Stanford encyclopedia of Philosophy

Quotes about Free Will and Determinism

“His Sacred Majesty, Chance, decides everything.  True prayer lies not in asking for a violation of natural law but in the acceptance of natural law as the unchangeable will of God.” ~Voltaire

“Only intelligence can make us sharers in the shaping of our fates.  Freedom of the will is no violation of causal sequences, it is the illumination of conduct by knowledge.  “A physician or engineer is free in his thoughts or his actions in the degree in which he knows what he deals with. Perhaps we find here the key to any freedom.”

~John Dewey

 History does not teach fatalism.  There are moments when the will of a handful of free men breaks through determinism and opens up new roads.  ~Charles de Gaulle

 Everywhere the human soul stands between a hemisphere of light and another of darkness on the confines of two everlasting hostile empires, - Necessity and Free Will.  ~Thomas Carlyle, Essays, "The Opera"

 Lots of folks confuse bad management with destiny.  ~Kin Hubbard

  We cannot bear to regard ourselves simply as playthings of blind chance; we cannot admit to feeling ourselves abandoned.  ~Ugo Betti, Struggle till Dawn, 1949

Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you is determinism; the way you play it is free will. ~Jawaharlal Nehru

I like coincidences. They make me wonder about destiny, and whether free will is an illusion or just a matter of perspective. They let me speculate on the idea of some master plan that, from time to time, we're allowed to see out of the corner of our eye.

Chuck Sigars, The World According to Chuck weblog, September 8, 2003

We have to believe in free will. We’ve got no choice.~Isaac Bashevis Singer, The Times (1982)

That which you call your soul or spirit is your consciousness, and that which you call 'free will' is your mind's freedom to think or not, the only will you have, your only freedom, the choice that controls all the choices you make and determines your life and your character. ~Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged