American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

For centuries, the question of free will and determinism has sparked deep debate among philosophers, scientists, and scholars from various fields. This discussion is driven not only by the apparent conflict between the two concepts but also by the complex relationship they share. Free will refers to the ability of individuals to make choices without being constrained by external forces, while determinism is the belief that events, including human actions, are shaped by preceding causes according to the laws of nature. Some philosophers, including Hobbes and Spinoza, have defended determinism throughout the course of its history by arguing that human decisions are governed by natural law and shaped by past experience. Kant, on the other hand, introduces a concept of autonomy grounded not in desire but in the principles of moral duty, which becomes the foundation of his idea of the natural man as someone who affirms a kind of freedom. More recently, neuroscience has joined this conversation by examining whether our decisions arise from conscious intention or are determined by unconscious brain activity, further complicating how we define free will.In neuroscience, researchers study whether our decisions are the result of conscious intent or unconscious brain activity, raising new questions about the reality of free will. These issues are also central to current discussions on artificial intelligence, where predictive models may influence or even override human judgment. As technology grows more capable of anticipating and shaping behavior, understanding how free will, determinism, and autonomy interact becomes more important.In the following analysis of these scientific and philosophical viewpoints, we will seek to show that, while the existence of free will may remain open to debate, the idea of autonomy is an important consideration that we should take into account in our understanding of determinism as it relates to the nature of responsibility, especially in relation to the advent of technology and AI