General Approach to Free Will, Examination of Free Will Neuroscientifically and Effects of Free Will Existence Issues on Medical Ethic

Abstract

The existence of free will is a subject that has been discussed for centuries ontologically, ethically and teologically in various areas. There has been much debates about the subject since Antique Greek to today. The aim of this study to investigate the relationship between medical ethic and the existence of free will. Free will be discussed sociologically, neuroscientifically and ethically in this study. Firstly, general approaches to the existence of free will will be gathered and explained basically and providing the different views of the topic through history to readers is aimed. Next, some examples of neuroscientific studies having potency to light the way for free will arguments will be examined. Lastly, a universe model where free will doesn't exist will be investigated in terms of ethic principles. In this study, the thought that the existence of ethic depend on the existence of free will was discussed and based on the findings in the literature.

Keywords

• free will
• neuroscience
• medical ethics