...A crucial thought behind Van Inwagen’s Consequence Argument is that we lack the ability either to change the past or change the laws. If determinism is true, he argues, our present actions are a direct combination of the past and the laws. And on that basis, he concludes that if determinism is true then what we in fact do is all that we can do. David Lewis rejects this reasoning. He claims that while there is sense in which we cannot break the laws of nature, there is also a sense in which we can break the laws of nature. Moreover, he claims that once we appreciate this distinction, Van Inwagen’s argument for the incompatibility of freedom and determinism collapses. Who has the better of this dispute? Write a paper which answers that question. There are many possible strategies you might adopt...
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...Free Will and Determinism- is it an Illusion? Determinism, libertarianism and compatibilism are three significantly different views on where unaccountability might stop and where free will and moral responsibility begin. Determinism is the strict opinion that every action and decision is the cause of an event, genetics or the environment prior to that action. Quite the opposite is libertarianism, which happens to be the genuine belief in free will as well as the denial of universal causation. Finally, deep self-compatibilism meshes both of these stand points together and introduces the idea that one’s action can be free if it stems purely out of personal, authentic desire. Since all three judgments have a backbone of convincing arguments, it is difficult to live by just one. Studying the Satyr’s justification, Hench’s ever-changing attitude toward his creation, and Michael Gorr’s point if view on the matter, one way of thinking may become more rational than the others. Silenus the Satyr is a strange creature, half man, half goat who was brought to life in a laboratory by a man named Hench. Near the end of this fiction, Silenus is sold to slavery in an environment lacking both booze and women after he acts on a desire to have sex with a woman without her consent. The Satyr repeatedly uses his hard determinist point of view to convince Hench that everything that happens has a reason, and if something is caused it cannot be free. Therefore, the Satyr has neither free will...
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...Since the ancient Greeks, one of the most provocative and oft-discussed questions in philosophy has been whether we have free will in determining the course of our actions, or whether our actions are determined by forces beyond our control. Before the advent of secular thought, those forces might have been identified as the whims of the gods, though the tradition of naturalism in Western thought goes back at least as far as the Milesian School of Greek Philosophy, in the 6th century B.C. In more recent times as the cognitive sciences have developed, it has seemed increasingly likely that our brains work along deterministic lines (or, if quantum effects are non-negligible, at the very least along mechanical lines). So a new debate has arisen: are the concepts of determinism (or naturalism or mechanism) when applied to the brain sciences logically compatible with free will? So some of the attention has shifted from the debate between the “determinists” and the “anti-determinists”, to that between the “compatibilists” and the “anticompatibilists”. Two declared opponents in this debate are Peter van Inwagen (author of An Essay on Free Will, Oxford University Press, 1983) and Daniel C. Dennett (author of several books including Elbow Room, MIT Press, 1984, which I will be referencing here). Each argues for his conclusion from premises he regards as antecedently plausible, with van Inwagen taking the anti-compatibilist line and Dennett the compatibilist. As van Inwagen is the more...
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...Free Will vs. Determinism ` One of the most reoccurring theoretical arguments of philosophy is the problem of free will and determinism. Walter Stace describes the famous debate between free will and determinism as one that does not have a simple solution because each side has substantial evidence that supports its ideas and beliefs. Although, Walter provides information on both approaches to free will, he was known to defend a view on the issue of free will and determinism called compatibilism. Compatibilism allows us to have a significant idea of what free will is as well as acknowledge that we do not decide to make spontaneous decisions but rather our choices are an outcome of previous causes. Basically, Stace claims that our natural choices are made at our own liberty and that we are in control of the most abrupt periods of a long causal chain. The concept of free will, well matched with determinism is crucial if we are to comprehend how anyone can be morally responsible for his or her actions. Stace's argument is mainly focused on the basic nature of morality and its significance to the problem of free will. Walter Stace claimed it is almost certain that if there is no free will there can be no morality. If morality is perceived to be of a fabricated nature, the question of what is primarily accurate and incorrect can now be challenged, as generally everything has already been predetermined. He then disputes that philosophers who oppose the reality of free will only...
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...Avery Suazo Free Will VS. Determinism Though it can be loosely traced back to modern arguments, which mainly revolve around religion, free will versus determinism has been a staple of debate for over a millennia. The side of free will argues that there is nothing inhibiting us, as humans, from making the choices we choose to make. I think that determinism, the other side of the argument, is incredibly vague and ambiguous; while free will is much more viable in every way. First, I will articulate the definitions and intricacies of both ideas; then, I will elaborate as to why free will is the winning choice in this debate; and finally, I will conclude with my final thoughts. Let’s start off with free will. The theory states that it is the ability to choose without constraint from any outside source of interference (e.g. social pressures, religion, law). By this theory, one can assume that any action is done by the will of the individual, which in turn proves that every action done has a sole agent responsible for said action. For example: Tommy goes to the store, he buys bananas. His mom calls and asks him to pick up some juice while he’s there. Note that Tommy may be naturally inclined to fulfill his mom’s request, but in no way is he out of control what choice he makes. Notice: inclined. He would likely choose to buy the juice as well as his bananas, because he is a good son and doesn’t mind spending the money for juice. He could also completely ignore what his mom says...
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...Jonathan Santos Professor Zalkaske PHIL 1301 28 October 2015 Freedom of the Will Humans are considered rational beings, but it has always been asked what can human beings do and to what extent do their abilities reach This question focuses on free will and determinism. An easy way to show free will and determinism is to think of paths that are forked and with each decision there are alternate routes you could have taken from the one you did and that with those alternate routes there are alternate futures. So for example you have a choice of going to the park or the mall by choosing the park your decision would put a fork in your road and the other choice the mall would be another fork in the road, but it would become an alternate future. Firstly,...
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...Free Will and Determinism One issue with human kind as a whole that has been continuing since the beginning of time is the question of free will. Do human beings really have free will, or is our destiny predetermined by fate? To fully take a side, one has to look at and understand both sides of the argument. Firstly there is the concept of Determinism, which is basically that all events are caused by prior events, and that given the causes of a human’s choices or actions, there is no way that that human could have acted otherwise. Obviously, this is incompatible with the concept of free will, because free will suggests that humans do have a choice. Although there are two different sides to the argument of free will, there is compatibilist and libertarianism free will. Compatibilist free will suggests that free will and determinism are compatible. That it is possible for a person to act freely if the action is not caused by an external factor but rather by an internal factor, caused by processes in the brain. Libertarian free will denies that determinism and compatibilism are true and that free will exists. Libertarians define an action as free if the person doing it could have done otherwise, or that is was possible to act differently. I believe that humans do have free will to the extent of their own power, making me a compatibilist. A person cannot stop a car accident from happening and making them late to work, but they can choose to turn around and take a different route...
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...Argument and logic Free will versus determinism is the excerpt I chose for this argument and logic assignment .Free will and determinism have opposite meanings so the belief of free will and also atoms doing what they do being predetermined cannot be true .unless the given circumstance makes it true .Let me explain free will is defined as the power given to human beings to make their own choices that is unconstrained by external circumstances or by fate or divine will .Determinism is defined as that every event or act and decision is an inescapable consequence of antecedents that are independent of free will .Which states that humans do not have free will to chose. This is not caused because anything or anybody is trying to control humans it just is. This belief is true in religion and cause and effect .Many religious people believe that the existence of god supports determinism .Because that god is all knowing and all powerful so there is nothing that god does not know or that he does not already know .If people had free will there would be things that people would do that god does not already know about and that would limit god being all powerful .The other argument about determinism is cause and effect this argument says the same thing would always occur due to the event .Let’s say you throw a rubber ball on the ground it would hit the ground and bounce back up .Throwing the ball against the floor was the cause and the effect was the ball bouncing .Based on this everything...
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...Ted Honderich Determinism Vs Free Will Psychology 101-1322 Professor: James Pattison By: Belinda Bielicki July 2, 2011 Determinism versus Free Will: The most important and the oldest philosophical question is perhaps that of free will and determinism. Do people have free will, or are our actions pre-determined? Ted Honderich defined determinism as the philosophical idea that every event or state of affairs, including every human decision and action, is the inevitable and necessary consequence of antecedent states of affairs. "Nothing occurs at random, but everything for a reason and by necessity." Determinism is used by philosophers to account for some of the choices and actions that cause or create the effects of causal sequences; these sequences raise questions about the freedom of the choices and actions. Determinists believe our decisions are controlled by previous exposure to differing situations and environments and that each and every one of our actions is caused by a specific prior action or cause. (a occurs because of b, b occurs because of c..etc) In the belief of a determinist, man is no exception to this rule and therefore we are not "free" due to our actions being a result of a previous cause. If we are to dispute that this in fact is true, than we as human beings cannot be held responsible for our actions, as we have no control over them, they are automatic. However this is not the case, when a human commits an act, they are held responsible for...
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...What is Free will? Free will is whether we as a human can mange to make our own decisions without being controlled, or if we are controlled and the decisions that happen are meant to happen. Is it our fate? Or is it possible that everyone makes their own future and pays for their own consequences? Whether it be Rene Descartes beliefs or John Locke ideas of the meaning of free will. These are many philosophers that have gone into detail describing free will and determinism but it is varied due to the fact we all think differently. Free will is described as the human will be regarded as free from restraints, compulsions, freedom of decision or choice. The dictionary describes determinism as the doctrine that everything is entirely determined...
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...Free will Chapter 6 is about Free will and determinism. Nagel explains Free will is making your own choice and/or choosing something because you wanted to. He expresses it as an opportunity for you to choose either “A or B”. When you pick the preferred one, you could have chosen the other if you wanted to, but your Free will choose the one you wanted. He then explains that you may have Free will, but in reality it was already determined. Which is called determinism. Determinism is when the action or choice you have made was determined by certain circumstances, saying that whatever your actions led to was inevitable doing to your upbringing or just who you are as person. He even compares that the decisions we make are as responsible as a dog or cat. Free will to me is doing what you please knowing the consequences of your action. Everyone demonstrates free will differently do to boundaries we have set upon ourselves. Everyday when I wake up, I have the free will to choose what I...
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...Introduction For centuries, philosophers and theologians have debated the existence, definition, and extent of human free will. While this debate may superficially appear inconsequential to the average person, our individual belief in (or denial of) free will, produces dramatic ramifications in every facet of the human experience. Your opinion on the topic significantly alters your worldview—directly influencing your individual perspectives on justice, punishment, equality, interpersonal relationships, etc. For Christians, our view of free will affects our understanding of God, generating a multitude of theological ramifications relating to righteous living, sin, salvation, etc. This paper will briefly examine the philosophy of determinism—the...
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...Institutional Affiliation Course Lecturer Submission Date The Philosophy of Freedom Determinism is a theory that alleges that there are forces, either natural or universal that causes an event to happen (Lucas, p. 2). Lucas adds that the determinism concept asserts that humans live in a prearranged universe, and any change occurs with law-like promptness (2). This theory is a spiritual perception regarding the nature of the world and things. Some theorists argue that determinism suggests that, in principle, everything in the future is predictable and that past happenings, in principle, are explicable. Compatibilists, also known as soft determinists describe freedom as a free act that involves no compellation, coercion, restriction or force. Also, determinists define freedom as an act performed on the basis or from an individual’s personal conscious and rational desires and wanted. The determinism assumption presents a complex issue for the free will concept. Some arising questions include how one can make free choices if the laws of nature and the facts of the past determine their actions. Also, how can one be accountable for their performances if they possess no free will? Nonetheless, these reasonable questions are not enough to suggest the falsehood of determinism; instead, they perform as an active stimulator towards providing resolutions to the perceptible conflict between free will and determinism. Lucas indicates how various philosophers including Daniel Dennett argue the...
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...Determinism is the philosophical belief that for every incident, including human interaction, there has been a specified set of conditions, which has guaranteed no alternative outcome (Nagel, 1987). The theory of determinism believes that past events have a direct correlation to events that happen in the future. (Dennett, 2003) However, within determinism, there lies a paradox. How can people have free will if every action has been predetermined? Philosophers have debated whether the existence of free will is directly challenged by the existence of determinism, and in turn have created four possible outcomes. (Timpe, K, 2004) The first is hard determinism. This believes that complete determinism is true, that all actions are pre-conceived and reliant on the past in order to occur, thus rendering free will to be impossible. Following this, there is a compatibilist view. This view believes that although determinism is true, there is still the possibility for free will to occur (Smith, Q & Oaklander, L, 1995). Thirdly, there is hard incompatibilism. This encompasses the belief that determinism is completely false, and that free will is also not possible. Finally, there is libertarianism, another incompatibilist belief. In this, it is believed that determinism is ultimately false, and because of this, free will can occur (Smith, Q & Oaklander, L, 1995). Going back to the determinist viewpoint: how is free will directly challenged by such a belief? Ultimately, free...
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...FREE WILL OR DETERMINISM 1 Free Will or Determinism Ashley Magee American InterContinental University FREE WILL OR DETERMINISM 2 Abstract This essay will discuss free will versus determinism. This will be a dialogue between an imaginary Socrates and me. A series of questions will be discussed to describe determinism and free will. FREE WILL OR DETERMINISM 3 Socrates: What is your definition of determinism? Ashley: Determinism is the thought that each event is caused by something. Since human actions could be looked at as an event then each choice is because of a cause. Socrates: So, if every event is based on a cause then we do not have free will. Ashley: I don’t believe human action is an event, I feel like we all make our own decisions and our fate is determined by our decisions. Socrates: What is your definition of free will? Ashley: Free will is to act without the confinement of fate. This is acting at one’s own concern. Socrates: Is it not true that we all have our own fate? Ashley: I believe that our fate lies in our own hands. It is up to us to decide how we live our lives. Socrates: Do you feel that every event has an explanatory cause? Ashley: I do not feel that way. Some things just can’t be explained and we will never know why some things happen. Socrates: Is it not true that everything happens for a reason? Ashley: I think that everything happens because of the decision that we made. Whether good or bad things happen...
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