Free-Will, a Modern Version of Choice Free-Will, a Modern Version of Choice

In modern times, the discussions surrounding the problem of choice are entitled ‘free-will’. We may ask however, ‘is choice the same as free-will or not?’ Is the former another word for the latter or has a significant change occurred in this discussion (aside from a change in the words used to refer to it)?  In this article, first an explanation has been presented for the meaning of ‘choice’ in Islamic philosophy. Then, the transformations of the two principle explanations of choice in this tradition have been explained. Following this, they have been compared with the principle explanations of choice in western philosophy. The conclusion of such a comparison is that free-will is a new explanation for choice in modern times. This is founded on the separation of the free-act from the act made by one’s own choice Aside from justifying the fact that the action stems from free-will, it also justifies its being made by one’s own choice and that man is responsible for it. Today, in the tradition of Islamic philosophy, the explanations of choice do not fulfill the expectations that we have that we will be able to use the discussion on choice in practical philosophy. This is due to the fact that attention has not been paid to the element of being responsible. It is for this reason that it is necessary to take another look at and examine the discussions presented in Islamic philosophy regarding choice – keeping in mind the new explanation of free-will - and that it be examined what suitable explanation does being responsible have in these discussions.