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Chapter 9: Are We Free or Determined?

Chapter 9: Are We Free or Determined?. Introduction. Determinism – all events are caused Fatalism – events are predetermined by some impersonal cosmic force or power Predestination – events are predetermined by some personal power

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Chapter 9: Are We Free or Determined?

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  1. Chapter 9: Are We Free or Determined?

  2. Introduction • Determinism – all events are caused • Fatalism – events are predetermined by some impersonal cosmic force or power • Predestination – events are predetermined by some personal power • Problem of freedom and determinism – If all events are caused, then how can any human action be free?

  3. Introduction • The dilemma • Human choice is either free or not free • If it is free, then the law of causality is false • If it is not free, then people are not responsible for their actions • Therefore, either the law of causality is false, or people are not responsible for their actions

  4. The Case of Dr. SvengaliJonathan Harrison • Uses science fiction to explore issues of freedom and determinism • Dr. Svengali is able to determine the actions of the housekeeper, but he is unable to successfully control her will without unwanted consequences

  5. We Are Determined • Hard determinism – every event has a cause that is incompatible with free will • Simple determinism is not necessarily incompatible with free will

  6. Not Guilty Robert Blatchford • Blatchford denies that humans are free to rise above heredity and environment • Rewards and punishments cannot be based on human responsibility • A man is free to act as he chooses to act, but what causes him to choose?

  7. We Are Free • Libertarianism – some human choices, such as moral choices for which we are responsible, are not determined by antecedent events

  8. ExistentialismJean-Paul Sartre • Existentialism – existence precedes essence. Man defines himself after he exists • If human nature is not predetermined but is something that we create as we make decisions, then we are radically free

  9. Karma and Freedom • The law of karma states that as each sows, he shall reap. Past and present actions determine future spiritual, moral, and physical conditions • The perfect law of moral justice operates automatically in the universe

  10. Karma and FreedomSarvepalli Radhakrishnan • Radhakrishnan supports a type of libertarianism • Agent causation – when your whole self is the agent that causes you to choose and act, then you are free • What is the self?

  11. We Are Both Free and Determined • Soft determinism – every event has a cause, and this fact is compatible with human freedom. • Compatibilism – even if determinism is true, people ought to be held responsible for those actions they do voluntarily

  12. Chanelle, Sabrina, and the OboeBruce N. Waller • Explores the soft determinist position • Rejects the idea of moral responsibility • Distinguishes between taking (or “taken”) responsibility and moral responsibility • Taken responsibility does not necessitate rewards and punishment

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