10. Metaphysics 4: Human Action

Question 1

3 Views About Human Action

Answer 1

(1) Indeterminism or Libertarianism
(2) (Hard) Determinism
(3) Soft Determinism or Compatibilism

Question 2

Greek Sunday School regarding determinism/fate

Answer 2

A titan named Thermis had three daughters called the fates. Their names were Clotho (spins), Atropos (scissors), and Lachesis (measuring). These three determine the length of your life, the kind of life, and your death.

Question 3

Determinism (2)

Answer 3

1. Our birth, biological makeup, ideas, habits, and everything about us are all out of our will/control.
2. For a person to act freely, they would have to be able to choose their motives or prevent those motives from acting on their will. Determinism doesn’t ignore motivation as a cause for action; it simply denies that motivations are ‘freely’ chosen.

Ex. Your distractions aren’t anything you’ve willed, instead they happen to you.

Question 4

Any action that is genuinely ‘free’ is by definition…

Answer 4

…free of any self-authorizing cause.

Question 5

Indeterminism (Libertarianism)

Answer 5

1. put morality (normative concerns) ahead of simply descriptive explanations of our actions.
2. Believes voluntary choice is necessary for our attributions of praise and blame. Therefore, libertarian free will must be possible.
3. Accused of putting the cart before the horse.

Objection: You feeling free is no genuine argument for being free.

Question 6

Why is the defense for Indeterminism based on “regret” lacking?

Answer 6

That statement is nonsense because we still regret things even if we didn’t willingly cause them. “I wonder if X wouldn’t have gotten ran over if I left 5 mins early.”

Question 7

Soft Determinism (Compatibilism)

Answer 7

1. If there were no determinism of human beings at all, their actions would be completely unpredictable and therefore irresponsible.
2. Free will implies that it has to be an initiation of a new thing. If an action were free, there would be zero cause. Every action would be an initiation of a new thing, untampered to a casual history.

Question 8

1st order desire/volition to…

Answer 8

I WANT TO – reality.

Question 9

2nd order desire/volition…

Answer 9

I WANT TO WANT – ideal.

Question 10

WE WILL DO WHAT WE WANT WHETHER WE…

Answer 10

WANT TO OR NOT.

Question 11

Difference between determinism and fatalism

Answer 11

‘Fatalism’ carries with it metaphysical/mythological/theological baggage that isn’t present in Determinism.

Determinists generally agree that the ‘next moment’ is fixed by the content (the causal determinism) of the prior moment. Those moments have certain features that cannot fail to bring about the next moment. Generally, Determinists avoid fatalism by arguing that there’s nothing in the present series of moments that necessitate some fine-grained detail five or ten years from now. There’s nothing that is happening to me today that ‘determines’ my death on December 15, 2038.

Question 12

What are causes for a compatibilist? (soft determinism)

Answer 12

Not words, not language, not reasons, not beliefs - the only answer is volition/desire/will.

Question 13

Difference between Compatibilism and Incompatibilism

Answer 13

Compatibilist: soft-determinism (will and determinism works together)

Incompatibility: It’s either free will (indeterminist) OR determinist. They’re not compatible, they meed to be either or.