Flashcards
Free Will and Determinism
Cards in this deck (26)
- 1Clarence DarrowHard Determinist. The boys were predetermined by their upbringing and experience to commit this crime. The boys did not have moral responsibility for their actions stating that "you must appreciate every influence that moves them."
- 2"They killed.....him because they were made that way." (Darrow)
- 3"Punishmentis not admissible unless the offender has free will to select his course." (Darrow)
- 4Ted HonderichHard Determinist. 1.Nothing happens without a reason, noted by Aristotle. 2.The reason for everything is out of the control of humans.3.Events are determined and everything a human does is the result of everything that has already happened.4.Humans are not morally responsible for their actions
- 5Pierre-Simon de LaplaceEvery action could be predicted if every single factor was known.
- 6"Human beings...are like complicated bits of machinery." (Palmer)
- 7Baruch SpinozaFreedom is an illusion. We are ignorant of the causes of our actions, we tend to believe that we have free will.
- 8"those who believe....that they speak, or are silent, or do anything else from a free decree of the mind, dream with their eyes open." (Spinoza)
- 9John LockeExample: Sleeping man awakes in locked room. He decides to remain where he is, not knowing the room is locked. His decision however is not free, although he thinks it is.
- 10John B WatsonPsychologist Determinist. Follows the universal theory of causation. If we had perfect information about the prior causes of human actions, men's actions are knowable. Actions are determined by Heredity (nature) and the environment (nurture)
- 11"Give me a dozen...healthy infants...and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist." (Watson)
- 12Steven PinkerDeterminist. The Role of Genetics. Darwinian approach. Emotions such as love sympathy and anger have developed by natural selection. Still maintained moral responsibility as humans have an innate moral sense.
- 13Thomas SowellHumans are influenced by social factors; all of our actions are caused within the society. An individual's actions are determined by his upbringing, education, family life, culture and so on.
- 14"human selfis infinitely plastic, allowing humanity to be changed and ultimately perfected." (Sowell)
- 15Karl MarxWorking people are controlled by the structural effect of society. Crime is most often the result of poverty. Society determines outcomes.
- 16Thomas ReidCommon sense philosophy. Humans are limited by nature but still have free will. Free Will is the individual's ability to control his life.
- 17Michael PalmerPersonality - an empirical concept which is governed by causal laws.
Morality - an ethical concept which will counteract our tendencies towards duty. This ethical concept is free will.
We can only make decisions if: 1.We do not already know what we are going to do. 2. It is in our power to do what we are thinking - 18"We would only...blame criticise or regret, if we believed we had alternative ways of acting." (Vardy, Puzzle of Ethics)
- 19C.A.CampbellSince we often make decisions, this involves belief that we do have free will and such, we have free will
- 20Jean-Paul SartreFreedom is a factor of consciousness. Existence precedes essence. We have no predetermined human nature/essence. Humans choose their essence through what he does and believes.
- 21"Man first of allexists, encounters himself, surges up in the world - and defines himself afterwards." (Sartre)
- 22Daniel DennettFree will is just intellectual articulation. The ability to rationalise our actions gives the illusion of free will.
- 23"We don't justact our reasons, we represent our reasons." (Dennett)
- 24David HumeAll events are causally linked - constant communion of objects. However, predetermined events give rise to human free will.
- 25"The freedom todecide how to act in response to a determined event." (Hume)
- 26Bryan CaplanWhile the agent is determined by many factors (social conditioning, genetics), this does not mean the person will conform to these traits. Humans posses the liberty of spontaneity.
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- Flashcards on Free Will and Determinism, created by ste100 on 20/05/2016.
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