Showing freedom, or our ability to choose, as our will was Descartes" way of explaining the cause of error in humans. He says that the error is caused because we still make choices when we do not know enough to choose, because our will is free. If one is truly human, then they have the knowledge and understanding to make choices and are responsible for them.
Skinner concurs with Descartes that humans make choices, but states those choices are controlled by outside influences, which is called Determinism. Determinism, where all choices are predetermined, is seen in two main ways, biological and environmental or social. Biological determination is where the body and "genes" have control and influence over what one does and the choices one makes. Social or environmental determination is the idea of a society and the environment around us influencing and making the choices of all the individuals. In this situation, they are unable to escape the influence of that society (5). For Skinner, all human choices are determined by previous physical causes. This cause and effect situation is like a domino effect, where one effect is the cause of the next choice. This is why Skinner states that one is unable to escape the outside influences, because one choice causes the next. Therefore, man is viewed as an instrument of his behavior, not controlled by himself. Freedom comes down to choice, or the ability to choose, and with choice comes moral responsibility. Moral responsibility is made up of praise and blame. When one adds predetermined actions of circumstances, it makes individual ends that are unavoidable. If your choices are predetermined then there can be no praise or blame, taking away moral responsibility (5). This view, determinism, takes away human freedom and replaces it with preset choices that will be made and carried out in a certain way. By viewing choices made by human as predetermined, the idea of free choice is stripped.