Free Will In Sophocles The Oedipus

Free will is something that we, as people living in a judeo-christian and capitalistic society, seemingly depend on for purpose, but throughout much of history, the concept was viewed through a quite different lense. In The Oedipus Cycle by Sophocles, despite all of the efforts of Oedipus to avoid his fate, the king of Thebes is not able to avoid the inevitable, due to circumstances out of his control. Considered in a more simplistic light during Sophocles’ time, with the role of the gods playing an much more significant role in people 's thought processes, many preeminent philosophers, such as Sam Harris, are now taking this point of view, but then adding science and excluding religion. While this topic is still quite controversial even today, by delving into both the science behind free will and also the text of The Oedipus Cycle, the conclusion that the concept of free will is a false narrative is not as implausible. First and foremost, the science behind free will is essential in the understanding of people’s decision making. In the early 1980’s, a study conducted by psychologist Benjamin Libet found that, “activity in the brain’s motor cortex can be detected some 300 milliseconds before a person feels that he has decided to move,” (Harris, Sam). This study implies that, in fact, some innate process in the brain is making decisions before you yourself acknowledge the decision you are about to make, a momentous finding, which challenges the idea that people can control their actions. An example relating to this study brought up by Harris is the fact that one is not able

Like Oedipus, much of the struggles Antigone faces are due to her father Oedipus’ fate, as well as many of her predetermined personality characteristics. Even though she attempts to alter her ultimate fate