Secular Determinism

Secular Determinism

1. Scientific

   • everything is physical -Subject to laws of physics
     • t/f everything acts according to nat. laws
       • if we knew all the laws, could predict future events
     • Laplace - "we may regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its past + cause of it's future."
     • "Everthing is planned, connected, limited."
   • Locke's example of man locked in cage - ignorance =/= freedom
   • Honderich "determinism is true, compatibilism is false" - denies we have any choice t/f no moral responsibility - not incompatibilist - claims free will = meaninless

2. Biological

   • Everything determined by genes - understanding code = understanding of beh.
     • Twin studies
     • Kornhuber discovered a brain potential in EEG which precedes all willed movements + actions
   • Identifying genes for criminality, personalty etc.
     • eugenics - hitler..

3. Psychological

   • Freud - psycho sexual stages in early childhood - oedipus etc.
   • Classical conditioning - Watson - controlling stimuli = controlling reaction
   • Skinner's Operant - Little Albert + Pavlov's dogs

4. Soft determinism

   • Ayer - attempts to solve
     • defines - someone is free just in case their action is not caused
       • rejects - act is purely by chance - people arent usually help accountable for chance
     • someone is free just in case they act according to their character
       • rejects - why is their character ?
     • freedom lacking if: controlled by someone else OR kleptomaniac
       • Someone is free just in case, if they chose to do otherwise, they would have
         • redefined for own purpose
           • philosophical understandings are mistaken - need to have a universal understanding of freedom
   • Hobbes - lacking freedom = being physically prevented
     • banks of river = external impediment
       • if river did not move without, would not be impediment
     • being forced through fear is still a conscious, willing decision

5. supported by empirical observation + scientific method

6. explains why things happen

7. challenge to moral responsibility ?

8. we want to/have to think we're free - majority belief

9. libertarianism

   • Sartre - existence precedes essence
     • we create own values + determine own meaning to life, humans possess no inherent identity or value
     • essential freedom t/f total responsibility for consciousness, actions etc.
       • example of waiter - 'bad faith' trying to be something that is not, attempting to conform to societies views
       • facticity = details of limitation of freedom - language, environment etc. Sartre says our will is still radically free
       • Anguish - choosing something affirms its value - can never choose the worse
       • Abandonment - sense of loss realising that there are no guidelines, no objective value, moral code = foundationless
   • Sirigu - free will in brain
     • stimulating parietal + premotor cortex encourages movement of limbs etc.
     • groundbreaking in understanding free will
   • Rogers - self actualization
     • people able to achieve goals + desires through self actualization
       • ideal self + actual beh. in congruence = fully functioning + capable of anything
       • unable when we have poor self-concept or external constraints override what we think is important
         • become yourself not who other want you to be