Free will and determinism cont

Free will and determinism cont

1. Soft determinism

   • Some of our actions are determined, we are morally responsible for our actions
   • All human actions are caused, since if they were not they would be unpredictable and random
   • Being free is when a persons actions are free, they are not forced or compelled by any external pressure
   • John Searle, implies that because there is a gap in our minds between thought process and action, we switch from being determined to acting freely.
   • Kant noted the two 'types' of reason: Pure reason - knowledge and the scientifically explicable world (external) Practical reason - actions of the will (internal) Kant attacks hard determinism and states that there is no reason behind an act of will. that pure reason is determined by external factors while practical reason is not determined and allows us to make decisions freely.
   • If desires are determined, how can we have total freedom of choice?
   • Which actions are free and which are determined?

2. Netwonian, everything in the world mat be described in terms of laws which operate with mathmatical precision, if the laws of nature were known it would be possible to predict exactly what what happen in each and every situation in the future.