Download - Freedom of Will and Determinism
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Freedom of Will and Freedom of Will and DeterminismDeterminism
Introduction to PhilosophyIntroduction to Philosophy
LIULIU
Instructor: Abir ChaabanInstructor: Abir Chaaban
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Determinism ( Hard Determinism)Determinism ( Hard Determinism)
• Determinism is the theory that everything in the universe is governed by causal laws. (Thomas Hobbes ( See Facebook group and Baron D’ Holbach see Pojman 387-389).
• The theory is based on the materialist physicalism theory of mind and body.
• As we recall the materialist argues that everything that exists is matter. Humans have no souls or mind, and what determines action is desires interests and brain activities. ( See lecture on the Mind-Body Problem)
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Determinism ( Hard Determinism)Determinism ( Hard Determinism)
• Determinism argues that we have no moral choices and no moral responsibilities.
• Our actions are predetermined by physical causes.
• If we were omniscient we would predict everything that will happen in the future.
• Therefore, every human actions are event. Human actions are determined ( they are not free choices) by causal laws. (Pojman Pp 378-379)
• Vocabulary: omniscient: , العلم كلي شىء بكل عالم
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The structure of the Argument The structure of the Argument
• The basic argument of hard determinism is as follows:• P1: No action is free if it must occur.• P2: For any event X there are antecedent causes that
ensure the occurrence of X in accordance with impersonal, mechanical causal laws.
• C: No action is free.
• Thus, since causes guarantee that their effects occur and since everything that happens is the effect of some cause or set of causes, everything must occur. So nothing is free.
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Immanuel Kant Objection to Immanuel Kant Objection to Determinism Determinism
• Kant argued that the principle of universal causality is a synthetic a priori-that is, an assumption that we cannot prove by experience but simply cannot conceive not to be the case.
• Kant thought that w are programmed to think in deterministic manner. Nevertheless the notion of morality provided a powerful incentive to believe in freedom of will. Kant’s Dilemma (Pojman Pp. 379-380).
• When I have a choice I ask about the what choices do I have and what reasons will cause my action.
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Kant’s Objection to DeterminismKant’s Objection to Determinism
• Kant says persons are like things in the sense that physical laws apply to their bodies;
• Persons are NOT like things because they can be conscious of the operation of these laws. (A thing is just subject to laws; it is not conscious of being subject to laws.)
• People can thus be aware of physical and psychological laws as observers, from the outside.
• When a person thinks about how to behave, a person considers reasons not causes and effects.
• Causes are never relevant to someone's action. When I have to make choices, and I choose my action on the basis of reasons.
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Libertarianism ( freedom of will)Libertarianism ( freedom of will)
• Libertarianism is the theory that we do have free wills.
• Libertarians do not contend that all our actions are free, only some of them.
• Libertarians offer two main arguments for this position: – The argument from deliberation and – the argument from moral responsibility. ( Pojman Pp.
381-382).• This position is argued by William James
Pojman P.p 389-399 and by Corliss Lamont (Pojman Pp. 399-402).
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The Argument from DeliberationThe Argument from Deliberation
• The argument from deliberation sates that every human being is free to make the choices he does and that deliberations leading to these choices follows. ( Pojman P 381).
Vocabulary • Deliberate: , , , , مرو, متأن فيه مروى متعمد مدروس ,موزون
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The Argument from Moral The Argument from Moral ResponsibilityResponsibility
• Determinism conflicts with the thesis that we have moral responsibilities.
• This moral responsibility implies that we have a choice to make between good and evil actions.
• We take moral responsibility very seriously because we believe that do have duties, oughts, over which we feel rational guilt for failing to perform.
• There can be no rational feelings of guilt if we were not essentially free.
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Compatibilism Compatibilism
• One of the answers to freedom of will and determinism is a middle ground between the two.
• This view is called soft determinism or compatibilism. It is similar to Kant’s view.
• Soft determinism or compatibilism argues that we are determined, but we still have moral responsibilities. The distinction is made between voluntary and involuntary actions.
• The language of freedom and the language of determinism are both necessary for man kind. One is necessary for science and the other is necessary for morality and personal relationships. ( Pojman P.p 382-383)
• Walter T. Stace takes this position (Pojman 411-416)
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Essay QuestionEssay Question
Are human beings fully determined or are they free agents having a moral responsibility for their actions. Write a paper arguing your position on this question. In your paper you should summarize the different positions ( determinism, libertarianism and compatibilism and then present your position. Use real life examples to contextualize your answer. Is the Revolution in Egypt determined by existing causes or is it a call for freedom by free and rational agents seeking liberation, or is it a combination of causes and free will).
In order to write your essay you should all read pages 37-383. Then you should read the articles of Baron D’Holbach (383-389), William James (389-399), Corliss Lamont (399-402) and W.T. Stace,(411-417) to make a choice of the position you choose.
Good luck