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Human Freedom

Human Freedom. how free are we?. Overview. Determinism : Choices are caused by prior decisions Hard Determinism : Free will is an illusion Soft Determinism : Free will is compatible with determinism Libertarianism : Choices originate within persons

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Human Freedom

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  1. Human Freedom how free are we?

  2. Overview • Determinism: Choices are caused by prior decisions • Hard Determinism: Free will is an illusion • Soft Determinism: Free will is compatible with determinism • Libertarianism: Choices originate within persons • Hard Libertarianism: Persons always have free will • Soft Libertarianism: Persons have free will at significant times

  3. Hard Determinism • Determinism is incompatible with free will, often advocated by atheists and Muslims • Mechanical determinism, governed by natural laws • Theistic determinism, God causes everything (generally associated with supralapsarians like R.C. Sproul Jr.)

  4. Soft Determinism • Also known as compatibilism, often associated with infralapsarian Calvinism and some atheists • Both determinism and freedom are true and every human action is causally necessitated by events that obtained prior to the action • Major compatibilists: John Locke, David Hume, Daniel Dennett, Bruce Ware

  5. Problems With Determinism • Determinism implies actualism—only what actually happens is possible • Fails theologically • “Herein lies the problem. Before a person can commit an act of sin he must first have a desire to perform that act. The Bible tells us that evil actions flow from evil desires. But the presence of an evil desire is already sin. We sin because we are sinners. We were born with a sin nature. We are fallen creatures. But Adam and Eve were not created fallen. They had no sin nature. They were good creatures with a free will. Yet they chose to sin. Why? I don’t know. Nor have I found anyone yet who does know.” • Theistic compatibilism fails with the problem of evil

  6. Hard Libertarianism • Generally associated with open theism • There is a choice between A or ~A • A free act is one in which a person can act other than how he or she does act • Hypothetical ability (I can do A vs. I will do B)

  7. Soft Libertarianism • Generally associated with Arminianism and Molinism

  8. Problems With Libertarianism • The problem of divine foreknowledge (theological fatalism) • If God knows Jones will choose A in the future the Jones must choose A because God knows it

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