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FREE WILL AND
DETERMINISM
- Are we free to choose and does it matter? Most
of us think we are totally free to choose between
what is right and what is wrong and we make a
conscious decision. The freedom to choose is
directly related to the freedom not to choose. You
can only punish someone for doing wrong if they
had the option to choose not to do wrong.
- BEHAVIOURISM
- Humans are either
pre-programmed or culturally
programmed to act in certain
ways whilst thinking they have
an element of choice.
- John B Watson: if the
universe is determined by
unchanging rules then all
human behaviour can be
predicted. If human
behaviour can be predicted
then it can also be
controlled and
manipulated. In practice, all
human behaviour is
governed by a mixture of
nature and nurture.
- Humans are either
pre-programmed or culturally
programmed to act in certain
ways whilst thinking they have
an element of choice.
- BEHAVIOURISM
- PREDESTINATION
- ST PAUL: some people are chosen by God
to be believers and some are not chosen
by God to be believers and therefore do
not have then benefits of believing
(Romans 8:28-30).
- ST AUGUSTIN:
the potter has
authority over
the clay from the
same lump to
make one vessel
for honour and
another for
contempt.
- CONSCIENCE
- Consciousness is the
inner awareness of self
which enables us to
experience conscience.
- Conscience is the innate
sense of right and wrong
which people often
experience at a gut level.
- Most of us experience
conscience through the
feeling of guilt or
unease. It is the negative
form of conscience that
we latch onto (used by
Freud).
- Consciousness is the
inner awareness of self
which enables us to
experience conscience.
- CONSCIENCE
- JOHN CALVIN:
predestination is the
eternal decree of God
for he does not create
everyone in the same
condition, but ordains
eternal life for some
and eternal damnation
for others.
- ST PAUL: some people are chosen by God
to be believers and some are not chosen
by God to be believers and therefore do
not have then benefits of believing
(Romans 8:28-30).
- HARD DETERMINISM
- Every choice we
make has been
pre-determined;
predestination
without free will.
- VOLTAIRE: pear trees
cannot bear bananas.
The instincts of a
spaniel cannot be the
instincts of an ostrich.
Everything is planned,
connected and
limited.
- SPINOZA: men think
themselves free on
account of this alone;
that they are conscious
of their actions and
ignorant of the causes
of them.
- LOCKE: we all think we are
free but none of us wake up
enough to realise that we
are living in a world
bounded by principles of
which we are unaware.
- VOLTAIRE: pear trees
cannot bear bananas.
The instincts of a
spaniel cannot be the
instincts of an ostrich.
Everything is planned,
connected and
limited.
- Our social conditioning forces
us to adopt socially acceptable
norms of behaviour and the
power of religion tightly
controls people's ethical
frameworks. School
environment and genetic
conditioning; we're making
survival choices when we act
kindly rather than moral
choices. Milgram Experiment.
- Clarence Darrow, defence
lawyer in the US, successfully
defended two teenage
murderers on the basis that
neither had acted freely but
simply out of their social and
cultural background.
- Every choice we
make has been
pre-determined;
predestination
without free will.
- SOFT DETERMINISM
- Up to a certain
point we are free to
choose. Free will
and pre-destination
are compatible.
- Some aspects of human
behaviour are
pre-determined while
others are not therefore; in
practice we each remain
responsible for our moral
choices.
- SCHOPENHAUER:
man can do what
he wills, but he
cannot will what
he wills.
- Up to a certain
point we are free to
choose. Free will
and pre-destination
are compatible.
- LIBERTARIANISM
- We are totally free to choose
and free will and
pre-destination are not
compatible. Humans are free
to choose what actions to take
but therefore are totally
responsible for the
consequences of their actions.
- Where is the concept of
justice? If everyone is free to
do what they want then
potentially every action
could be seen as right.
- Where is the concept of
justice? If everyone is free to
do what they want then
potentially every action
could be seen as right.
- ADVANTAGES: it forces individuals to
take responsibility for their actions
and could potentially force people to
think twice before they act badly.
Independent of any religious or
ethical moral code. Allows for
freedom and individuality.
- DISADVANTAGES: while it may work
for an individual, as soon as they
are part of a social group there
could be potential friction due to
their actions affecting others.
Libertarianism falls down as soon as
you apply it to human society.
- JEAN PAUL SARTRE: freedom is a goal of our moral action;
even if our actual freedom is limited we should
demonstrate our freedom by wanting to be more free. It
doesn't matter what you choose providing you choose
freely because freedom is our goal. Anyone who doesn't
choose freely is living a life of absurdity. Pursue freedom
no matter what choice you make because otherwise you
are condemned to live a dull life.
- ROBERT KANE: there
are five types of
freedom open to a
human being;
self-realisation, rational
self control,
self-perception, self
determination,
self-formation.
- DISADVANTAGES: while it may work
for an individual, as soon as they
are part of a social group there
could be potential friction due to
their actions affecting others.
Libertarianism falls down as soon as
you apply it to human society.
- We are totally free to choose
and free will and
pre-destination are not
compatible. Humans are free
to choose what actions to take
but therefore are totally
responsible for the
consequences of their actions.
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