Ethical Consequences Of Determinism

Ethical Consequences Of Determinism
One way of approaching the possible social and ethical consequences of determinism, should it be
definitively proven, is to analyze the behavior of devoutly religious individuals who believe God's
will supersedes their own, compared with the behavior of individuals influenced by determinism
who believe their own free will is nonexistent. Religion in itself shares several key characteristics
with determinism, the main differentiating factor being forgiveness from a higher power. Without
this guarantee of forgiveness, the social and ethical ramifications of a deterministic future that
supersedes religious beliefs are significant. Furthermore, operating under the lens of Antonio
Damasio's theory of the three layers of consciousness and self, ... Show more content on
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However, if determinism has always been true what would that mean for how our world and society
has formed? One could argue that if determinism was true, the world we live in today would be
nothing like as we recognize it. According to Antonio Damasio, there are three layers to
consciousness and the self: the proto self, the core self, and the autobiographical self (Damasio
15:53). The proto self and core self are important, but not entirely relevant to our discussion on
determinism. The autobiogaphic self, however, is key. Damasio suggests that this autobiographical
self is "built on the basis of past memories and memories of the plans that we have made," (16:26).
Additionally, "the autobiographical self has prompted extended memory, reasoning [...] out of that
came the instruments of culture [...] And it is within that culture that we really can get [...]
something that is not entirely set by our biology" (Damasio 16:26). If Damasio's conclusions are
accurate, then the autobiographical self is separate from our biology and not bound by the physical
laws of determinism. If the autobiographical self is conscious, and with that consciousness came the
ability to plan, take action, and create all the successful elements of our current world cultures –
would they still exist in a determinist world without an autobiographical
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Will Vs Determinism
Free Will Vs. Determinism I. Determinism Before one can properly evaluate the entire debate that
enshrouds the Free Will/Determinism, each term must have a meaning, but before we explore the
meaning of each term, we must give a general definition. Determinism is, "Everything that happens
is caused to happen. (Clifford Williams. "Free Will and Determinism: A Dialogue" pg 3). This is the
position that Daniel, a character in Williams' dialogue, chooses to believe and defend. David Hume
goes a little deeper and explains in his essay, "An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding of
Liberty and Necessity," that determinism is this: "It is universally allowed, that matter, in all its
operations, is actuated by a necessary force, and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Daniel's response was to clear up where the reasonable bounds of induction truly exist. If one were
to drop one hundred objects of all shapes, sizes, and weights, and found that they all fell to the
ground, then it would be safe to induce that all objects will fall to the ground. Accordingly, science
has "dropped" thousands of events, and found that they all had causes. So, according to Daniel, it is
not only sane to assume, but actually should be inferred that all things are caused. The only response
to this is that we still have not seen enough to make an accurate inference. Though there seems to be
a lot of evidence in favor of determinism, there is one field that remains an anomaly in science.
Almost every area of science is based on cause and effect, order, and a structured protocol of
operation, but the Quantum Mechanics is different. All matter is made up of atoms, and all atoms are
made up of electrons, neutrons, and protons. These in turn are made up of quarks. The movement of
quarks, and the emission of photons as electrons skip shells seem to be totally random. If this is true,
then what are the implications on the free will/determinism debate? It may seem like an obscure
point, but if you look at the definition of determinism, it says that all things are caused, and if there
is one single uncaused event, then determinism must be false. So if you find one random event, then
determinism is nothing more than a myth, but, in light of this

Determinism Vs Free Will
Throughout society, one would be hard pressed to find an individual that did not believe in the
concept of freedom. Free will has become a value so ingrained in civilization that most trust in it
implicitly without question and the idea of being free is often romanticized in literature, politics,
religion, and media...However, there is a juxtaposing viewpoint that is also widely recognized.
Determinism is generally accepted as the opposite of free will in that individuals are not free agents
in their own life and decisions and behavior is already planned out for them. Two paths that
generally cannot mutually exist in the world; which one is right? Upon examining the research, the
vote seems to fall in favor of free will. Free will is defined ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
5). Essentially, if determinism exists, humans have no freedom of choice in their life and all actions
of behavior are already decided for them and can be predicted. For example, in the case of
determinism, it could be said that a child born into a family of violent parents will undoubtedly grow
up to be violent as well due to observation and genetics (McLeod, 2013). However, this argument
falls short because while it may be true that a child with abusive or violent parents is much more
likely to grow up and act in the same manner for hereditary or child rearing reasons, that child still
has the option to choose not to travel down the path and seek help. Eric Fromm, a noted Neo–
Freudian, states that all of us have the potential to control our own lives but that many of us are too
afraid to do so [and] as a result we give up our freedom and allow our lives to be governed by
circumstance, other people, political ideology or irrational feelings (McLeod, 2013, para. 21)
Nevertheless, just because someone stays in their same situation and allows themselves to fall prey
to circumstance, does not mean that determinism is readily inescapable since the choice to make a
change in one's life is still there even if the choice is to not act (McLeod, 2013).

Determinism Vs. Free Will
The idea that the future is already determined is known in philosophy as determinism. There are
various definitions of determinism available; but in this essay, I shall use the Stanford Encyclopedia
of Philosophy definition, which is 'the metaphysical thesis that the facts of the past, in conjunction
with the laws of nature, entail every truth about the future This idea presents a difficult problem for
the concept of free will: how can we make free choices if all our actions are determined by the facts
of the past and the laws of nature? A related but distinct question is: how can we be held morally
responsible for our actions if we have no free will? Undesirable consequences like these are not
sufficient reasons for declaring determinism to be false; but they can act as a powerful motivator
towards resolving the apparent conflict between determinism and free will. Some philosophers, such
as Peter van Inwagen have gone as far as arguing that the existence of moral responsibility entails
the existence of free will In this essay, I intend to argue that a solution to this dilemma lies not in
choosing free will over determinism, nor vice versa; but in the theory that determinism and free will
are compatible – known as compatibilism. Before going on, let us be clear about what we mean by
the term free will. 'To have free will is to have what it takes to act freely. When an agent acts freely–
when she exercises her free will–it is up to her whether she does one thing

Hard Determinism Analysis
An implication of free will is that man is nothing more than a puppet. Following the rules of
determinism, humans will follow the same choices made on previous occasions, whether they are
right or wrong.The main idea of determinism is that everything can be explained or that everything
has a reason for being and being as it is and nothing else. Soft and hard determinism are two of the
many different types of determinism that people believe in. Both types of determinism's share the
same belief that everything is determined at a physical level. In other words, all events that occur
within nature are determined by events that have already happened before it. Soft determinism
believes that free will is compatible with determinism. They believe ... Show more content on
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Hard determinism (aka incompatibilism) is the view that determinism is true and there is no such
thing as free will. In Locke's analogy of the locked room, he describes a man asleep in a locked
room. When the man wakes up, he decides to stay there. Although he believes he is using his free
will to make this choice, he could not have done anything else but remain in the room. "He has not
the freedom to be gone.". Baron Holbach is an 18th–century French philosopher that strongly
believes that free will is an illusion. According to Holbach, humans have no choice in anything they
because everything is already predetermined. Holbach also states that humans make choices based
on their preferences. For example, if Amanda walked into a bakery store filled with various types of
baked goods, it would appear that Amanda has the free will to choose any item she desires. Holbach
would argue that Amanda has already made a choice in her mind before walking into the bakery due
to chocolate chip cookies being her favorite snack. If determinism is true only one future is possible
at any moment in time. What really happens is that our behavior and our lives are influenced by
many factors that don't reach our

Determinism Between Free Will And Determinism Essay
Determinism relates directly to
The Fountain in Tommy's journey as he changes through the guidance of Izzi's from fearing and
fighting death, to acceptance and grace in its inevitability. This journey is central to the film as the
lighting –dark to light–, colours –black to white– and shapes –triangles to rectangles to circles– all
symbolically represent this movement from fear, denial and blindness to enlightenment, acceptance
and grace. It is in the climax of this journey that the conflict between free will and determinism is
addressed as through Izzi's book, a manifestation of her feelings (the queen is under attack as she is
battling cancer while Tommy her conquistador attempts to save her from death), Tommy is allowed
one more chance at self–examination and reflection. Through the insertion of himself into Izzi's
book he does this exactly, seeing the consequences of Tomas' actions as they parallel his own. It is in
the belief that the conquistador is acting freely that Tommy can ascribe moral responsibility to his
actions; if Tommy accepted determinism as true the conquistador would be absolved of all moral
agency, his action already determined through causality. In doing so Tommy recognizes that acting
selfishly will only leave him unfulfilled; the idea of free will is most explicitly affirmed as Tommy
revisits the past with this understanding, acknowledging he deprived his wife of his time in the
valuable last moments of her life. Instead of pursuing the incessant

Determinism Vs Libertarianism
Akash Shankar Richard Pulling 7–23–2015 Philosophy Are You Free The concept of determinism,
compatibilism and libertarianism is truly trying to explain if we are free and if so how much. Some
of us believe that we are the masters of our fate, our soul while others believe our destiny is
predetermined and that we are bound to a certain set goal in life. The concepts of determinism,
compatibilism and libertarianism try to help aid in that discussion and help enlighten us on what we
believe is the correct ideology. It is therefore extremely important to define what each of these three
concepts mean before comparing and contrasting the various arguments that each present. First off is
determinism, this is a view that every event, including human ... Show more content on
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For example the deterministic view has one major weak side that is clearly seen in the Loeb and
Leopold case. Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold were two young men who had privileged families
and attended the best schools. However they murdered a fourteen year old boy to experience the
thrill of killing someone. The public wanted the death penalty to be handed down but attorney
Clarence Darrow fought and won a life imprisonment verdict (Chaffee 177).The attorney employed
a hard determinist argument to show the judge that his clients were victims of circumstance and they
were beyond their own control. He even says in the trial that nature is strong and she is pitiless. She
works in her own mysterious way, and we are her victims (Chaffee 177). His argument obviously
worked as the two young men were not sentenced to death. This one case in my opinion shows how
determinism does not make sense to me. I absolutely believe that the environment and the way were
brought up has an effect on how we act on the decisions we make. But at the end of the day I also
believe that we should be fully help responsible for the actions that we make. These two young men
in my opinion should have been punished to the full degree. The deterministic argument puts too
much emphasis on the environment and other factors instead of one's self in my opinion. I could be
taught and raised to steal my entire life, yes I may have been

Environmental Determinism and Biological Determinism
Environmental Determinism and Biological Determinism can set restrictions on a person's behavior.
Environmental Determinism is the view that the environment can have a great impact on a person's
behavior. Environmental Determinism is known as the name Climatic Determinism or the name
Geographical Determinism. Biological Determinism is the view that a person's genetic material can
set limits on a person's behavior. Environmental Determinism and Biological Determinism are
different because they limit a person's behavior in different ways and are similar because they have
similar effects on different societies.
First of all, Environmental Determinism effects on behavior based on the environment. A large
amount of tropical countries is ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Racist beliefs related to moral and intellectual characteristics still persist. The belief that one's race
is superior to many other races still exists to this day. This is how Biological Determinism affects
based on a person's genetic material.
Third, Environmental Determinism and Biological Determinism are similar because everyone is
affected by Environmental Determinism and Biological Determinism. Environments affect the
survival and growth of a person. Different environments affect a person's culture and decision
making. Environmental factors have a strong impact on a person. A gene is a "unit of hereditary
information that occupies a fixed position on a Chromosome"(Encyclopedia Britannica). A
Chromosome is a "Threadlike part of the cell that carries hereditary information in the form of
Genes"(Encyclopedia Britannica). "A defining feature of any chromosome is its compactness. For
instance, the 46 chromosomes found in human cells have a combined length of 200 nm (1 nm = 10−
9 metre); if the chromosomes were to be unraveled, the genetic material they contain would measure
roughly 2 metres (about 6.5 feet) in length (Encyclopedia Britannica)."Human beings rely on
genetic material. People pass on genetic traits to offspring. Phenotype is the interaction between
Biology and the environment. Environmental Determinism and Biological Determinism are similar
in many ways.
Biological Determinism and Environmental Determinism has existing conditions that

Examples Of Soft Determinism
People always say that nothing can stop you from achieving your dream and it shouldn't, however,
the only one that can initiate the actions of the next steps in your life is you. The definition of Soft
Determinism is that one, determinism is true and two, each person has a right to live the way they
want as long as there is a Free Will. Soft Determinism is different as Determinism because
Determinism is the exact opposite of free will. Determinism challenges the fact that there is no Free
Will. In a way, it can be seen as freedom, freedom of being their own person. Soft Determinism has
many perspectives about Free Will, however, it ties down to where in some situations where we are
limited to our actions due to certain events such as life and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
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Which can be seen a confusing because what makes it so different? Free Will are not as easily to
define because in the point of view of determinism, there many different perspectives on them. In
the view of soft determinism is that Free Will does exist only depending on how society and the
environment has shaped one as a person. For instance, Free Will leads to moral responsibilities
which limits the right to act freely and limits the right to do what he/she wants. There are multiple
examples of Soft Determinism and an easier way to understand the Free Will. To break it down, if
someone's stomach was growling the first thought would be buying a sandwich to eat during their
lunch break, isn't that acting freely? Since your mind is telling you that you are hungry and that you
are craving a sandwich. It is acting on your own desires and wants because you specifically wanted
a sandwich instead of a slice of pizza or pasta. want to eat because you are hungry. You are making
your own choice because you would not had felt hungry if your body did not react. In a way you can
see it as it not being your choice because you cannot control the hungry in you but you can control
what you consume, what you wear, and what you

Moral Determinism Essay
The Moral Implications of Determinism
Determinism contains an entire set of parameters for how the universe operates. If true, determinism
would seem to have all sorts of implications for rational actors and how we live our lives. A number
of authors have written on these implications that determinism would have for causality, free will,
and morality. However, I will argue that even the strictest reading of determinism, via causality and
free will, does not have the implications for morality that many think it would. Specifically, these
implications are generally thought to mean that our concept of moral responsibility would be in
jeopardy–I will show why this is not the case.
I will start by examining determinism and authors who have written ... Show more content on
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Indeed, predeterminism seems quite incompatible with what we naturally conceive of as "free will."
However, Harry Frankfurt argues for a better understanding of our 'free will' sense of accountability;
Frankfurt argues that a person, Jones, is unknowingly implanted with a device in his brain that will
activate and force him to perform a certain immoral action against his will. However, the device will
only activate if Joes does not already intend to (and does) perform the immoral act by his own
agency. If Jones commits the immoral act, and the device does not activate, it might as well have
never been implanted inside him. Yet, we would still hold Jones morally responsible in this
situation, even if he was unable to choose to do otherwise. Thus, Frankfurt's solution to our concept
of moral responsibility is that one should be exempt from the responsibility of an act if he or she
performed the action only because he or she could not have done otherwise; I will return to this idea

Free-Will Vs Determinism
Free will and determinism are two distinct philosophies regarding human character that some
philosophers believe to be compatible, while other philosophers do not. Determinism suggests that
every action and decision is predictable and foreseeable while free will affords these decisions as
random acts and selectable by our will and desire to choose to decide which path to take. In this
paper, I will argue that free will is not compatible with determinism.
EXPOSITION Determinism is the modern term derived from Democritus' ancient idea that "causal
deterministic laws control the motion of atoms" ("Determinism"). Since everything in the universe
consists of atoms, including people, then according to this law, this theory of deterministic ... Show
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Some have written that "the reason our behavior is unpredictable from the outside is that we have
ultimate freedom of choice" ("Determinism"). Free will could be described as having "voluntary and
non–voluntary" acts and tendencies and what distinguishes the two refers to self–consciousness. Is
this a decision or act based on self–awareness and consciousness? We may choose to act on a
decision, or we may choose not to act. That is our self–conscious and our free will of decision–
making. The mere act of consciously making a decision defines our moral freedom and free will.
Henry Sidgewick made a valid case on consciousness when he said, "Certainly, in the case of
actions in which I have a distinct consciousness of choosing between alternatives of conduct, one of
which I conceive as right or reasonable, I find it impossible not to think that I can now choose to do
what I so conceive, however strong may be my inclination to act unreasonably, and however
uniformly I may have yielded to such inclinations in the past" ("Determinism"). Because we have
the ability to actively choose a path or decision based on our conscious thoughts attests to the ability
to choose based on free will and not because we are destined to choose that

Everything happens for a reason. This is a belief accepted by many humans all over the world and is
the basis behind decision–making. However, many humans also believe that actions in life are pre–
determined by causes external from the will, this belief is the idea behind determinism. Philosopher
David Hume believes that both free will and determinism can co–exist even though the two
concepts seem to contradict each other. I believe that Hume is correct to believe that free will and
determinism can co–exist because determinism explains the outcome of a humans actions and free
will explains the motives behind a humans actions. Hume argues that experience is the origin of all
ideas, even outlandish ones. For example, a unicorn comes from the ... Show more content on
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Hume brings the idea of God into play as he comes to two possible objections relating to God. The
first objection is the idea that God, being an infinite being, is the author of all actions and would not
allow for evil actions to exist therefore all actions are good and humans just cannot see the bigger
picture that God has painted. The second objection is that if everything in the universe is as it should
be and these evil things are meant to occur then we are in a way placing blame on God and stripping
him of his infinite power. Ultimately, Hume states that one cannot possibly figure out the ways in
which God works using simple philosophy and deems both of these objections pointless because
they would only lead to more uncertainty and error. Hume strengthens his arguments by stating that
the way humans and animals understand cause and effect is exactly the same. Humans don't do any
kind of special reasoning or logic to conclude why something happens, we trick ourselves in to
believing we do, in reality humans and animals alike learn the relation between cause and effect
through experience. Here Hume gives the ability for a human to understand cause and effect a more
instinctual characteristic than what the common human is accustomed

determinism Essay
Free Will
Imagine if you found yourself in a state of bondage where every action desire and feeling was
planned on an inexorable agenda that you could not help but comply with. Although this seems like
a dark and fantastical world, if the idea of determinism is fully accepted than it may not be as distant
as you might think. The idea of Free Will is one of the most timeless and dubitable philosophical
questions and is imposable to disregard. The idea of Free Will has three prevailing schools of
thought, consisting of Determinism, (The belief that every action is determined and therefore, not
free.), Liberalism (the belief that our actions are not causally determined and therefore, free.)and
lastly, Compatibilism (The belief that ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Could you imagine a world with no moral responsibility, albeit the world would be a much more
accepting place, the price would be indifference and there would be nothing left to strive for, or to
restrain you from treachery. It would be like sitting contently as a passive train pasengar, just
waiting to see where the train's terminal track takes him. The deterministic argument that every
action is the result of a prior action is imposable to dismiss, but whether or not you have a choice in
what action you make is still up for grabs.
Although it is very difficult to indisputably prove the case for Determinism, it is equally testing to
argue free will. As I mentioned before, free will relies highly on the idea of responsibility. In order
to deny free will, you must also deny responsibility, which is a very difficult thing for anyone to do.
If we are truly ruled by causal law, than how could any event of occurred other wise, so in order to
save moral responsibility, we must either disprove or reinterpret these causal laws. Most people
consider free will as being able to make choices and find alternatives that have not already been
determined. The Incompatibilist or liberalist believes that

Free Will Vs. Determinism
Free Will vs. Determinism What determines and influences human behavior? Humans have been
looking the answer for this question during several eras, thus they developed various theories
attempting to explain human behavior. Determinism is the belief that one event is the consequence
of a previous action, similar to a chain. According to some philosophers who support determinism,
the will of an agent follows physical laws, and every action is explicable and predictable by physical
conditions. By this means, an agent is not able to control his actions, but his actions are determined
physically. Free will, on the other hand, is the belief of freedom of choice, and hence decisions are
self–controlled. Future cannot be predicted since human behavior tends to be unstable.
From these extremely different positions, compatibilism emerged as the idea that determinism and
free will exist in a compatible manner, which is the most accepted theory. In this way, there is a
connection between an agent's will and actions. It argues people's behavior is determined, but they
are able to choose freely according to their desires. Another hypothesis to explain human behavior is
the idea that neither free will nor determinism exits, but everything is random. This theory of
incopatibilism states events are unpredictable and uncertain, nevertheless, it tends to confuse
causation with compulsion, which is why it is not the most acceptable argument to explain human
behavior.
Annotated Bibliography

Determinism And Free Will
Determinists believe that everything that occurs in the world follows both from the laws of nature
and also the prior state of the universe. As a result, they further believe that our actions are
predetermined. Many philosophers believe this it offers a simple justification as to why people
commit such actions and, even more broad, why history precedes in the way that it does.
As an incompatibilist, I believe that determinism rules out the possibility of human freedom.
Determinism relies on a cause and effect relationship between the current state and the past. it uses
empirical notions that past action, or experience, combines with natural law to basically set out our
actions. I cannot see how a philosophy that suggests this cause and effect ... Show more content on
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Peter van Inwagen, a proponent of libertarianism, argues in his piece "Freedom of the Will" that
freedom and a society dictated. Libertarians often rationalize that one must believe that humans
have free will so that we as a society are able to hold people accountable for their actions. Yet, as a
hard determinist, I would say that yes we do exist in a cause and effect world in which actions are
predetermined; yet, we are the means of those actions. van Inwagen also rejects determinism
because he believes in the possibility of one having multiple futures – which determinism does not
allow for. Most importantly, he rejects determinism's central idea, the causality relationship, in favor
of a world in which humans can choose their own paths. This idea of choice is not sound as actions
that one has no control over before birth indirectly influence their decision making, rationalizing,
and so forth. For instance, people born into households with lower incomes tend to go to lower
performing schools. These lower performing schools impact their ideas about society, their role in
society, and in a broader view, the world. The "choices" they make were already decided before they
were even born from the socioeconomic conditions and genetic history since the beginning of time
that had preceded the birth. Unknowingly, the person makes "choices," which are not really their
own, based off of

Determinism, Soft Determinism And Libertarianism
Determinism supporters claim that all consequences are inevitable since conditions are met and
nothing else would occur by any chances. And determinism could influence and controlling
everything in the universe with causal laws. According to determinism, we could make predictions
about the occurrences of certain events or actions of human beings. There three types of
determinism that I will discuss in the following, the Hard determinism, Soft determinism and
Libertarianism. Hard determinism claims all the actions of human beings or consequences of events
are determined by external conditions, with such conditions satisfied there will be no choice of the
results available any time. Spinoza, the philosopher who stood for Hard determinism was convinced
that no free wills were available for anything in the universe. Those "Free will" existed in people's
mind were built on illusions, since they had ignored the actual causes to them. The hard determinism
could apply to everything we neither might encountered in the past nor in present time. But I think
the laws were found or formed by ourselves since the evolutions of the human societies in thousands
years, it 's not correct to say that no choices are ever made by ourselves. And the key point is that
most of the causal laws were found through scientific methods, but sciences has enhanced our power
on predicting and even changing the progress that will result in a different end by discovering more
causal laws as time passes. Soft

In philosophy, there are two ideas called "Free will" and "Determinism." According to Google, Free
will is "the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one's own
discretion." This basically means that you decide what you do, how you act, and what you want to
do in the future. On the other hand, also defined by Google, Determinism is "the doctrine that all
events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. Some
philosophers have taken determinism to imply that individual human beings have no free will and
cannot be held morally responsible for their actions." Fundamentally, you do not have a choice in
your actions as it was predetermined from your start. According to free will, you are morally
responsible for your own actions. You have a choice to be a murderer and you have a choice to be a
janitor. You have a choice to eat the fried rice or the Chinese authentic pizza. You decide whether
want to stay in Oakland or live in Russia. You determine whether Donald Trump is good–hearted.
You decide whether you want to buy the Nokia Lumia 365 or the Iphone 5s. Basically, you have
freedom over your decisions. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This idea basically indicates that free will and determinism can occur together; both ideas are
compatible with each other. I believe that reality is based off of Compatibilism. There are some
choices that you can't choice and there are some that you can decide on your own. You can't choose
the big life–changing decisions, but you can opt for the best case in average daily

According to Greene and Cohen's article, the problem of free will pertains to the conflicting
definitions of free will and determinism. Free will can be defined as the freedom to decide one's next
state; having free will means that one's choices do not depend on past events. Oppositely,
determinism states that every condition in the present depends on past events and all conditions are
entirely based on physical laws. Determinism thus claims that there is only one predetermined way a
given agent will act. Based on the definitions of free will and determinism, it appears that free will
and determinism cannot both be right. If one's choices are independent of past events, then physical
laws and previous conditions do not determine those choices. If the opposite is true, then free will
cannot exist. For most people, aspects of both free will and determinism seem correct even though it
cannot be so. This is the problem of free will. To explain ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Evidence of the existence of the two systems comes from the studies of patients with autism
spectrum disorder, who are highly proficient at solving problems about how physical objects work
but cannot effectively utilize the second system to determine how living beings might behave.
Greene and Cohen uses Heider and Simmel's experiment with the film of three moving geometric
shapes to support the claim that people use "folk psychology" to attribute a purpose to the shapes
and to perceive their actions in a social context. Furthermore, the example of

The Pros And Cons Of Determinism
No human can survive without water due to the fact that without water, a person will die from
dehydration, but how do humans know we will die without water? Simple– there have been several
incidences in the past of people dying from a lack of water. As a result, humans drink water so they
do not die. In the study of metaphysics, determinism is a view of freedom and moral responsibility
which explains that a person's actions are determined from previous events, and humans do not have
free will. A common phrase people use is "you learn from your mistakes", which makes perfect
sense. A mistake was made in the past, and it is not made in the future given similar circumstances.
Aileen Wuornos is a real life example of somebody who had a horrifying past, and as a result, acted
violently. Aileen is an ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Metaphysics also poses two more views on freedom and moral responsibility: libertarianism and
compatibilism. Libertarianism explains that previous events do not determine a person's actions, and
that all humans have free will. Compatibilism is a mix of libertarianism and determinism, stating
that humans are determined by previous events, but have free will. Ultimately, determinism is the
view that is the most logical because many people can relate to it due to their previous experiences.
To begin, people who are not determinists will argue that people do have free will. A common
criticism for determinism involves the human consciousness: "Consciousness is not a material thing,
even if it is dependent on the physical brain, and thus is not bound by the laws of physics." (Eric
Wayne). Due to the fact that an individual's thoughts cannot be observed with the five senses, then
the consciousness of every individual is different. To

Determinism In Groundhog Day
Free Will, Determinism, and Compatibilism in Groundhog Day As all philosophical theories show
controversial view points, the same is true for the concept of free will and determinism. Some
people believe free will may be true, whereas others believe in determinism. However, some people
believe it could be possible for life to include both free will and determinism, which is called
compatibilism. Free will is the philosophical idea that all choices in life are ultimately free.
Determinism is the idea that every event has a cause, including human thinking and acting.
Compatibilism is the idea that acting freely results from past experiences and desires. Provided that
different situations throughout life prove probable evidence for both free ... Show more content on
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Free will and determinism are compatible because a person acts freely according to desires
determined by their past history (Rachels 116). Freedom requires determinism in that, "free does not
mean uncaused. Rather, it means something like uncoerced" (Rachels 117). This type of freedom
may better be looked at as control. Some actions are beyond a persons control, such as sneezing. A
person cannot be blamed for sneezing, but they can be blamed if they do not cover their face when
sneezing. This is a freedom of control, based on the determined fact that a person cannot stop a
sneeze. In essence, "because free will is typically taken to be a necessary condition of moral
responsibility, compatibilism is sometimes expressed as a thesis about the compatibility between
moral responsibility and determinism" (McKenna). Compatibilism fits perfectly within the
Groundhog Day storyline. As Phil knows what actions are determined upon that day, he also makes
some choices dependent upon his desires. His number one desire is to get out of the loop and to do
so he knows he has to make the choice to become an all–around better person. As Rachels says, "We
are as free as a feather tossed in the wind. We are subject to prior cause and controlled by the laws of
physics" (117). In other words, people do possess some freedom, but not in a form of complete
chaos. There are factors that influence a persons

Determinism Vs Free Will
Even with all of the technology and knowledge have available to us today, we are still unable to
answer certain questions that have puzzled human beings for centuries. Determinism versus free–
will is one of the great questions that, at this point in time, cannot be proved or disproved. There is
much discussion regarding the issue of free–will versus determinism, and both present very
important supplemental questions that both positions must face. Although a definitive answer cannot
be given or proved yet, many disciplines make their own attempt to provide factual or subjective
information to support both sides. Experts in philosophy, physics, psychology, theology, etc. all
attempt to answer this universal question, whether it is through ... Show more content on
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It has been questioned as to whether time is a fourth dimension of our universe that we simply do
not have the ability to see. Much like the sphere explained to the square in Abbott's "Flatland,"
seeing something in a specific dimension automatically implies the next dimension exists. When the
square was able to see other citizens of Flatland, it implied that they had a miniscule amount of
height into Space land, or else they would not be visible. (Abbott) Scientists have attempted to prove
that we live in a three dimensional world, where we see two dimensionally, but in which a fourth
dimension is present. If time is that fourth dimension and we were able to determine a way to move
linearly through time (i.e. time travel), it would lend to the idea that free–will does not exist
because, much like God being omniscient, if the future already exists we have no ability to make our
own choices. The future is already set and our paths through life predetermined. Einstein discovered
the idea of relativity of space and time in which he called space–time. In short, scientists believed
that if light traveled away from the earth as the earth was rotating, it would cause the speed of light
to increase, and if light traveled towards the earth as it was rotating, the speed of light would
decrease. They discovered that the speed of light remained the same. (Mastin) Einstein determined,
through E=MC^2, that if the speed of light remains constant then the speed of time must change.
This was later tested and proved by placing multiple atomic clocks on the ground and some in a jet
airplane. The aircraft was then flown around the world, and when it returned the times of the clocks
that remained in the same place differed from the times on the clocks that flew in the jet. Thus
proving that time, at least as we know it, is relative to motion. (Hafele) If this idea was

Essay on Determinism and Free will
Determinism and Free will
Suppose that every event or action has a sufficient cause, which brings that event about. Today, in
our scientific age, this sounds like a reasonable assumption. After all, can you imagine someone
seriously claiming that when it rains, or when a plane crashes, or when a business succeeds, there
might be no cause for it? Surely, human behavior is caused. It doesn't just happen for no reason at
all. The types of human behavior for which people are held morally accountable are usually said to
be caused by the people who engaged in that behavior. People typically cause their own behavior by
making choices; thus, this type of behavior might be thought to be caused by your own choice–
makings. This freedom to make ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Our common practice of thinking of others and ourselves as accountable is simply not justified!
There are those who think that our behavior is a result of free choice, but there are also others who
believe we are servants of cosmic destiny, and that behavior is nothing but a reflex of heredity and
environment. The position of determinism is that every event is the necessary outcome of a cause or
set of causes, and everything is a consequence of external forces, and such forces produce all that
happens. Therefore, according to this statement, man is not free.
If we accept the determinist argument and assume human behavior as a consequence of external
factors rather than of free choice, then we must realize that our explanation of human behavior
leaves no room for morality. If people do not choose their actions, then they are not really
responsible for them, and there is no need for praising or blaming them. If determinism were true,
then there would be no basis for human effort, for why should a person make an effort if what he or
she does doesn't make a difference? If what will be will be, then one has an excuse for doing
nothing. Life would not be so meaningful for people on deterministic grounds. Human life, as we
know it, would not make much sense without the concept of freedom. In our everyday lives, there
are many times when we have to make decisions; what we

Mr Nobody Determinism
Free will and determinism are major themes in Mr. Nobody. Both of these themes are shown
through postmodern characteristics and techniques. Free will is the power of humans to make
choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention. Determinism is a theory or
doctrine that acts of the will , occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena are
causally determined by preceding events or natural laws. Free will is present in the film. This can be
interpreted through the young Nemo when he tries to choose the best choice; stay with his father or
go with his mother. Likewise, determinism is seen throughout the film. Determinism can be seen
when Nemo can read the future. This shows how free will and determinism ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
A movement away from the apparent objectivity provided helps reveal the themes of free will and
determinism. Apparent objectivity is a clear bias with no room for interpretation. With less use of
apparent objectivity, there is more underlying bias opinion. Nemo is an omniscient narrator in the
film because he has access to all future events that are to occur in the film. This can relate to free
will and determinism for the following reasons. Since Nemo can predict the future he has the choice
of choosing. This shows Nemo's character as one who cannot make a choice because of all the
possible outcomes. This hinders his ability of free will because all possible outcomes are set in stone
and there is nothing he can do to change it. As Nemo says, "As long as you don't choose, everything
remains possible". What this quote could mean is that there is that the possibilities are endless and
there is nothing someone can do to stop them from doing it. This relates well with the movement
away from apparent objectivity because whatever choice someone makes, there is more
interpretation with whatever choice they make. This is evident throughout the film when it shows
different shots of Nemo in his alternate lives. It shows the different angles of his other lives by
portraying that

Hard Determinism And Compatibilism
The concept of free will has been a point of contention among philosophers who study metaphysics.
Regarding this concept of free will, three theories have arisen: hard determinism, libertarianism, and
compatibilism. Hard determinism states that all human actions have been predetermined, whereas
libertarians state that all human actions are free, and compatibilism states that some human actions
are free, though they are all casually determined (Stewart et al., 2013, p. 154). Each of these three
theories have a different definition of freedom, where hard determinism and libertarianism define
freedom as that the person was not casually determined and could have chosen the alternative to his
action, and compatibilists define freedom as a person's ability to perform action through his desires,
feelings, and emotions (Stewart et al., 2013, p. 154). Perhaps one of the greatest arguments for
libertarianism involves the theory of causality. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
If no other event caused the person to perform the action he did, then the person was the cause of the
action. Furthermore, if the choice was not predetermined and the person is the source of his choices,
then they person is fully responsible for his choices (Stewart et al., 2013). Because the person
participated in the action "the person has become the cause of the choice in a very strong sense, for
the choice is alleged to flow directly from the person and not merely from some psychological
events or states within the person" (Stewart et al., 2013, 158). People often speak as though they
make free choices. For example, people say, "I chose to do this." Because the person is the source of
their actions gives them moral responsibility for whatever they choose to

Free Will and Determinism
The problem of free will and determinism is a mystery about what human beings are able to do. The
best way to describe it is to think of the alternatives taken into consideration when someone is
deciding what to do, as being parts of various "alternative features" (Van–Inwagen). Robert Kane
argues for a new version of libertarianism with an indeterminist element. He believes that deeper
freedom is not an illusion. Derk Pereboom takes an agnostic approach about causal determinism and
sees himself as a hard incompatibilist. I will argue against Kane and for Pereboom, because I believe
that Kane struggles to present an argument that is compatible with the latest scientific views of the
world. Robert Kane begins by explaining that there are ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
If described from a physical perspective, free will looks like chance. However, the indeterministic
chaotic process is also, experientially, the agent's effort of will – something the agent is doing. The
agent's choice is something that the agent does and not something that happens to the agent.
Therefore, the choice reflects the agent's effort, even though the outcome is not yet determined.
Kane ends his argument by saying that these reflections naturally raise further questions about
whether the indeterminism required by an incompatibilist theory of free will is actually there in the
brain and that every undetermined, self–forming, free choice is the initiation of what might be called
a "value experiment" whose justification lies in the future and is not fully explained by past reasons.
Derk Pereboom's position is an agnostic approach about causal determinism. He contends that if
causal determinism were true, we do not have the sort of free will required for moral responsibility.
As a hard compatibilist, he believes that life without this kind of free will need not preclude a sense
of meaning based on morality, and, in some respects, it could even be support it. When arguing
against compatibilism, Pereboom first defines compatibilism as free will of the type required for
moral responsibility. He says that it is compatible with determinism and that compatibilists will say
that we do in fact have this sort of free will. He then defines a libertarianist as someone

Determinism And Its Effects On Society
Determinism claims that all events are inevitable to have certain results at the end, since conditions
are met and nothing else would occur. And it could apply to everything in the universe with causal
laws. With the discovering laws, we could make predictions. Over the years, there are more than one
determinism been developed over time.
Hard determinism claims all the actions of human beings or consequences of events are determined
by external conditions, with such conditions satisfied there will be no choice of the results available
any time. Spinoza, the philosopher who stood for Hard determinism was convinced that no free
wills were available for anything in the universe. Those "Free will" existed in people's mind were
built on illusions, since they had ignored the actual causes for them. The hard determinism could
apply to everything we neither might encounter in the past nor in present time. But I think the laws
were found or formed by ourselves since the revolutions of the human societies in thousands of
years, it 's not correct to say that no choices are ever made by ourselves. And the key point is that
most of the causal laws were found through scientific methods, but sciences have enhanced our
power on predicting and even changing the progress that will result in a different end by discovering
more causal laws as time passes.
Soft determinism is a philosophical theory that opposite to Hard determinism's conclusion that
people are not accountable even for their

Compatibilism Response To Determinism
The philosophy of determinism states that everything humans do are determined by the previous
action and the causal law of nature. Determinism believes that humans are no control over their
action, therefore there is no free will, and nobody is responsible for their action. There are several
responses to the philosophy of determinism including libertarianism, compatibilism, and fatalist
Libertarianism is one of response to determinism. Libertarianism completely opposes the idea of
Determinism. Libertarianism argues that determinism is wrong. Humans are free from anything, and
they have the right to choose; however, they are responsible for their decision. Humans are special
creature because they have free will. We humans are free from anything and our choice and our
decision is based on our interest and nothing forces us to do something. Every human is responsible
for their action. Libertarianism believes that if humans are free and responsible, then there is a free
will; therefore, the philosophy of determinism is completely false. ... Show more content on
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Compatibilism believes in both free will and partial idea of determinism. compatibilism claim that
even though everything is determined, however humans have free will in determined life. Both
determinism and compatibilism agree with the idea of everything is predetermined, but they
disagree on the idea of free will. Determinism believe that there is no free will and Everything is
determined while compatibilism no indeed there is free will in determined life, and humans are
completely free and responsible of their actions. Compatibilism conclude their argument by our
desire and goal are already determined by previous event and casual low of nature, but humans are
free and responsible for their

Determinism, Hard And Soft
Determinism: According to Sappington (1990) there are two types of determinism, hard and soft. He
states that those who hold hard determinism say that human behavior is completely determined by
outside factors and that ideas such a free will or moral responsibility are meaningless. Many famous
psychologists take this approach such as Freud who believed that people's behavior is controlled by
unconscious factors and any conscious reasons given are simply the brain rationalizing actions to the
superego. Skinner argued against Freud and said that behavior is determined by their reinforcement
histories. Although they argue on the finer points they both believe that conscious choice is
irrelevant.
The second kind of determinism that Sappington (1990) speaks of is soft determinism which is the
belief that human behavior is determined, but this does not mean that free will is incompatible with
it. This view is says that people make choices that affect their lives but these choices themselves are
determined by other factors. According to Sappington (1990) Hobbes, Locke Hume, and Mill
represent this position among with many other famous psychologists. The idea of soft determinism
is not controversial in psychology today. (Sappington 1990)
Is belief in free will or determinism mutually exclusive or can one hold both views? Philosophers
have contrasted compatibilist and incompatibilist positions (Sappington 1990). Incompatibilists
argue that people cannot believe both views, while

Free Will Vs. Determinism
For centuries, there have been questions regarding free will and determinism. Free will is a human
value that has inspired many individuals throughout history. These concepts of free will and
determinism have inspired many poets, spiritualist, philosophers, and activist. There have been
numerous philosophers who believe free will is a part of our human nature, and are continually
questioning the concept of free will, constantly attempting to understand its ' true meaning. In
contrast to free will, there is determinism, which seems to bring many conflicts when regarding free
will.
The human behavior of free will has the tendency to be caused by the people who have engaged in
their actions. Usually, people have control of their actions, or feel that we do. Typically, as humans,
we are free to make our own choices. This freedom can be defined as having free will.
On the other hand, the concept behind determinism is that all events are determined due to prior or
previous existing causes. In turn, it makes the concept of, "free will" impossible. A question in
Philosophy Now magazine sparked up a great debate: Are the concepts of determinism when applied
to the brain sciences logically compatible with free will? (Free Will).
The extent as to the relationship between free will and determinism is extremely difficult to answer.
It is virtually impossible to understand the compatibility between the two concepts. For one to
understand these concepts, an individual would have to

Determinism, Compatibility, And Incompatibility
This week in lecture we were introduced with the problem of Free Will. To dig deeper into the
problem of Free Will we went through these four concepts: Determinism, Indeterminism,
Compatibility, and Incompatibility. Determinism is defined as "the doctrine that all event, including
human actions, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. Some philosophers have
taken determinism to imply the individual human beings have no free will and cannot be morally
responsible for their actions" (Google definitions). In philosophers perspective there is no
randomness in life, every action is predetermined, this is idea is expanded by the example that if you
were on a path and there were multiple paths to continue on in reality only one

Determinism Vs Libertarianism
The controversial metaphysical debate of free will in philosophy revolves around the blatant
discordancy between casual determinism and society's perception of free will. In Philosophy by
Manuel Velasquez, he describes this debate as "a controversy that still rages in our society" (p. 202).
The three foremost theories that are used in this deliberation are hard determinism, libertarianism,
and compatibilism. Philosophers defend and believe in each one of these theories based upon their
individual characteristics. The claim that a set of laws govern the universe and that all events have a
purpose is known as the casual determinism theory (p. 204). Casual determinism presents the idea
that it is plausible that all future events are predictable and "that there is only one path leading from
the past" to the future (p. 204). The belief in this theory conceives the possibility that everything can
be explained with reasoning based upon the laws of the universe. This concept would ease an
individual's concern of the future with a sense of security by knowing that the uncertainties of life's
events are foreseeable. An example would be knowing that an individual's car will break down on
the highway during morning traffic or when a tree is going to fall on the roof of the house during a
thunderstorm. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
204). It argues that casual determinism and free will cannot coexist, and that casual determinism is
the only viable explanation for human actions (p. 204). This theory would eliminate the various
stressors of life today because responsibility for one's actions would no longer be needed. An
individual could commit a crime and then claim that they did not have a choice because it was
predetermined. If this were true then punishment should not exist and "the saint should be no more
praised than the criminal should be [imprisoned]"

Determinism Vs. Free Will
Olivia Vogel
Introduction to philosophy
Jones
Determinism vs. Free will
The belief that all events have causes and if there ever is an equivalent origin, the same outcome
will occur is called determinism. Almost meaning that every event is certain and that there really
isn't such thing as "free will". We have the debut of free will, it is an unmitigated appearance that
simply holds that there is a case about anything that happens in the near future, nevertheless how it
comes about. Which leads to the question, do we have free will? Or are our actions governed? Well
if you look at free will it is the concept that you believe that it is ultimately your choice and even if
you were given alternative choices you could have chosen differently. Free will is a botheration by
cause and reason, which leads to libertarianism – whatever free action is, it involves reason and
causes. Do I buy I new pair of shoes for no reason or do I act upon it due to a preceding idea? We
can't talk about free will when there is a reason why we do the acts behind it. Things and choices
impose our other choices, so are we really free? It is really hard to choose which theory I favor
more, like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Part of me believes that it is hard to see if
the case of the earth, chiliad of years ago, fixes everything I experience throughout my life. I
somewhat believe that I am an independent agent and the writer of my own

Imagine that there is clear reasoning behind every event in each and everyone of our lives that we
cannot control nor manipulate in any way. This is where the argument of "free will vs. determinism"
comes into play. The concept of determinism states that outside factors affect our decisions and "free
will" and "motivation" are just illusions that conceal the true beliefs towards human behavior
(McLeod, 2013). This concept has a lot of support and most behaviorists argue against free will. To
put it simply "free will" is the idea that most of our decisions come from within our minds and we
are able to change our behaviors (McLeod, 2013). The argument between free will and determinism
has scientific evidence for each creating a good amount of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Carl Hoefer, the author of "Causal Determinism" in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, states
that the universal definition of determinism is "The world is governed by (or is under the sway of)
determinism if and only if, given a specified way things are at a time t, the way things go thereafter
is fixed as a matter of natural law." (Hoefer, 2016) This definition is based on the concept that
everything in the world can be explained and has a reason for existing at a certain time or place
(Hoefer, 2016). Thomas Hobbes, one of the most renowned english philosophers who lived from
1588 to 1679, who many believe stated the most universal definition of free will as "A free agent is
he that can do as he will, and forbear as he will, and that liberty is the absence of external
impediments." (Timpe, 2013) Kevin Timpe interpreted this definition as the ability to select a course
of action being that the individual is free and not being restricted by an external force (Chains,
Walls, Bars, etc)(Timpe, 2013). There are so many variants of these definitions and are always
subject to change and

The notion of free will has received a lot of attention in philosophy. Before we can examine it,
however, we must understand some basic terminology. Determinism, when simply put, is the idea
that everything including thoughts, decisions, and actions are predetermined before it even happens.
Everything was determined to happen up to what kind of toast you ate for breakfast. There is no
choice, randomness, and free will does not exist. Indeterminism is the opposite of determinism. It is
a theory that one event does not necessarily cause another event to happen, and that if you were to
put the universe into rewind and play it over again, it would have a different outcome each time.
Compatibilism or soft determinism, agrees that determinism ... Show more content on
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Determinism and free–will can not be associated with each other, because determinism is the belief
that everything happens for a reason and free–will is the idea that you have control over actions
without influece or persuasions of any sort. If determinism is true, your past has influence over the
decisions that you make in the present and future, therefore, determinism and free–will are not
compatible. "Every event has a cause; every cause is also an event; human behavior is an event;
thus, all human behavior is a cause; if an event is caused, it is not free; thus, no human behavior is
free, and free will does not exist" (Blatchford, 1998). This claim makes no sense since the fact that it
presents that as if everything started from an initial major event. However, this event can not be the
initial and first one, since it also claims that every event has a cause, following this logic the first
event definitely does not exist and the chain of causes and events are

Free-Will And Determinism
Free Will and Determinism– is it an Illusion? Determinism, libertarianism and compatibilism are
three significantly different views on where unaccountability might stop and where free will and
moral responsibility begin. Determinism is the strict opinion that every action and decision is the
cause of an event, genetics or the environment prior to that action. Quite the opposite is
libertarianism, which happens to be the genuine belief in free will as well as the denial of universal
causation. Finally, deep self–compatibilism meshes both of these stand points together and
introduces the idea that one's action can be free if it stems purely out of personal, authentic desire.
Since all three judgments have a backbone of convincing ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Second, Silenus would agree that if something is caused it can never be free. Silenus is very high on
himself as he rarely ever takes Hench's threats seriously because he is intelligent enough to
understand that Hench feels responsible for anything that he does. This is partially because Silenus
is constantly reminding him that he isn't responsible for how his mind works and thus can never be
held accountable for any action that may blossem from his desires. Third, since Silenus concludes
that he is not responsible for what he is, free will and moral responsibility must cease to exist in his
case. "Don't be silly Hench. Only human beings are responsible. I am what I am," (Satyr, 218). The
Satyr considers himself to be above human responsibility based on both his pre–determined genetic
information, and also his environment when he's reduced to cleaning his creator's lab. To add, all–
human acquaintances Silenus has had the displeasure of meeting label him as an untrustworthy
beast. By soaking up human behavior like a sponge, Silenus discovers that people can be extremely
selfish, so he decides it is ok to mock this behavior in a very direct manner. Therefore, Silenus the
Satyr and his determinist view that there are reasons behind every action have even Hench
convinced that he is in fact liable for all negative outcomes that Silenus may initiate. In the
beginning of the story, Hench is

Determinism Vs Compatibilism
Philosophers through history, especially those of late have debated over the matter of free will. The
argument of humans being free is contradicted by a notion of a pre–determined fate, one that helps
to conceive the notion of an omnipotent god. The three major groups of thought on this issue
determinists, libertarians and compatibilists all have varying views of free will, while compatibilism
is a combination of beliefs of the other two groups. A compatibilist would reject any notion that
physical determinism impedes free will, as an event may be determined but done voluntarily.
Compatibilists share views with both determinists and libertarians in regards to the freedom and
determinism questions. Compatibilists are also called soft determinists, ... Show more content on
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In his arguments for compatibilism Ayer suggest that free will be contradicted with constraint to
show that an action can be determined, while also being unconstrained and hence free. A specific
example of a determined yet unconstrained action is when an action is determined, such as ordering
a pizza. It was determined that a person would order the pizza, however if it is a voluntary action it
is believed to be unconstrained and free. Also in aiding the argument of compatibility against the
given argument it is said that "we lack free will unless we would have done otherwise", Ayer argues
that a person could do otherwise if they please, but that it may be determined that "they want to act
as they

Is Determinism True
Determinism is the idea that everyone's life has been predetermined for them and, that anything that
happens could have not gone another way. Also if when we were born all of our environments,
genes were already determined to set us up for what we were made to do then at no point could our
actions be up to us because everything has already been predetermined. When a event is determined
it is not the same as being predictable, this statement would make determinism true because there is
no one who can predict what happens next. The deterministic view describes free will as something
that is not really there, this view believes we have no freedom in the choices a person makes. To
include, Determinist believe that there is no free choice, that

In part five of the textbook, Philosophy: The Quest For the Truth, the concept of freedom of the will
and determinism is discussed in great lengths. The argument of free will and determinism between
psychologists and philosophers has existed for centuries. People who are determined assume that
outside, as well as internal forces, determine behavior. In addition to this they understand that
although this is true in their eyes, people are free to choose their own behavior. According to the
textbook, Philosophers assume that people seem to accept determinism, which is defined as being,
"the view that events are determined or necessitated by preceding physical causes and the laws of
nature (394)". This being valid brings up many questions that ... Show more content on
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This is described as that both determinism and free will are compatible and can both be true.
Traditional compatibilism makes it clear that an action is free if it is caused by your own choices
and if it is not constrained by anything. This states that even if desires were determined by forces
beyond control, an individual's will may be determined by preceding events and the laws of nature.
However, if you are able to do what you will, you are acting freely. The solution is that free will is
reconciled with determinism. In spite of this, Incompatibilist believe that if only our will is
determined, then determinism is true. Correspondingly, they maintain that being able to act on your
desires without constraints is not real freedom, because the desires they have are already

Determinism And Free-Will
In this essay I will be addressing whether or not human beings are morally responsible for their
actions. For one to be morally responsible for his/her action they must take into account that the
decision being made was from their own free–will. Leading us now to whether human beings have
free will or is it determined. If we were to say determinism is true, then no individual should be
praised or punished for their actions due to the fact it was not based on their own free action. If free–
will applies, he/she who commits an act practicing their own free–will deserves to be praised or
punished for such an act. It could be argued that due to determinism people are not morally
responsible for their actions, however this would be ridiculous. It ... Show more content on
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An example of an external force could be parents supporting a type of behaviour thereby
encouraging it. On the other hand an internal force would be driven by hormones. Free–will
believers assume that things are a bit difficult. They acknowledge that there is internal and external
factors, but yet they still believe that humans are free to choose their own behaviour. Stace theorizes
the idea of compatibility or soft determinism. He argues that free–will exists but to an extent which
is known as soft determinism. Stace defines free act as "free acts are all caused by desire, motives,
or by some sort of psychological state of the agent's mind". Unfree acts on the other hand are "those
whose immediate causes are states of affairs external to the agent". Soft determinism is the view that
determinism and free–will are compatible. It is a form of compatibilism. Soft determinism consists
of two main claims:
1. Determinism is true. Every human action or event, was causally determined. For example, if you
drank coffee instead of tea last night, you could not have chosen otherwise given your exact

Ethical Consequences Of Determinism

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