Hard Determinism

Hard Determinism

1. Clarence Darrow

   • Defended Leopold and Loeb in their murder trial of 1924
     • Leopold and Loeb committed the 'perfect crime' in murdering Bobby Franks, in a state in which this would be greeted with the death sentence.
   • Darrow argued a hard determinist stance in order to reduce their punishment to life imprisonment
     • He argued that Leopold and Loeb's environment etc. caused their actions, meaning that they didn't have a choice when it came to the murder.
   • Because this theory has been used to defend people in court, it gives it some credibility and shows that the theory doesn't have to go against our legal system.
     • Hard determinists argue that the legal system allows 'machines' which are 'broken' to have a chance of getting 'fixed'

2. Hard determinism argues that humans are like machines and their actions are decided for them by their education, upbringing and lifestyle.

3. Stemmed from the ideas of Spinoza and Honderich.

   • Universal Causation.
     • Everything is caused by what came before it. Nothing happens without a reason and things happen as a result of what came before them.

4. We are victims of circumstance

5. Removes the idea of praise and punishment.