‘Free will’ is the concept that humans have the ability to act independently; that decisions are a result of someone’s own actions, beliefs and convictions, and not the product of fate. Free will allows humans to make voluntary choices instead of acting according to a ‘plan’ or ‘design.’ It also means that humans can act according to their own wishes – they do not have to adhere to the same social, moral or other constraints as others, if they wish.

Whether or not humans have free will is based on an individual’s beliefs, and there are various arguments as to whether free will is good or bad. The effects of free will can be positive and negative, depending on a person’s point of view. Arguments supporting free will as a necessary, beneficial reality include:

• Freedom of choice. Instead of being ‘destined’ or ‘forced’ to do something, people are able to choose their own paths. Free will can mean being able to choose chocolate ice cream over strawberry, or Buddhism over Judaism. People’s lives are not dictated and they are able to do as they wish.
• Some degree of happiness and satisfaction. It is widely believed that people with free will are happier, because they are able to run their own lives without adhering to someone else’s will.

Many people believe in free will as a good thing, and avidly support it. However, free will has negative consequences as well as positive effects. Some unsavory outcomes of free will include:

• Poor decisions. People with free will can, conceivably, do anything they want. This includes hurting others, acting irrationally or making other kinds of damaging choices. Many people are capable of making decisions that will harm them for the rest of their lives. This brings in to question whether everyone is capable of making his or her own free will decisions, and if complete free will would result in chaos.
• Unhappiness. If individuals make poor, wrong or impulsive decisions, it is likely to have an extremely negative effect on their lives. People can suffer from financial, emotional or physical damage from free will decisions, resulting in extreme unhappiness.

Most individuals will need to decide for themselves whether or not free will should be supported or opposed. Supporters of free will can be seen as inspiring anarchy; opposers can be seen as supporting dictatorship. In the end, there is really no clear-cut answer as to whether free will is a good or bad thing.