1.4 Free will, determinism and predestination Flashcards
3 attitudes to predestination
1) God has already chosen the elect (those who go to heaven) and our actions cannot change that
2) Salvation depends on your actions during your life and how aligned with the gospel they are
3) There are selected elect however their actions can take them away from salvation. Good actions cannot however ensure salvation
2 religious beliefs about free will
1) Determinism says that God has already predetermined our actions throughout our entire life, and we have no free choice at our core of what we can do, God has already predicted it.
2) Compatibilists say that predestination and free will can go together. This is because they see the opposite of free as ‘compelled’ not as ‘determined’. It may well be the case God knew I wld lie today, but that doesn’t mean I have to lie tmrw. God knowing I will lie doesn’t mean it has power over my actions and therefore I am still free.
2 Non-religious views about free will
1) Libertarianists/existentialists believe that ‘existence precedes essence’. This means that the choices we freely make are what determine our identity, not it being determined for us. Since God didn’t create us, we are free to create ourselves. Jean Paul Satre’s view.
2) Hard determinists believe that every event is the inevitable consequence of a prior event. There are no spontaneous decision, all your actions are the effect of a previous cause. Law of cause and effect.
2 reasons we are morally responsible for our actions
1) Jean Paul Satre says that ‘existence precedes essence’ and we determine our personalities through completely free choices. This means that we are completely responsible for our actions and can be held responsible.
2) Compatibalists say that God has determined our choices however that doesn’t mean we don’t have free will. Just because God knows what will happen and that will definitely happen, it has no impact on what we chose to do and it is our choice to make. This means we can be held responsible for our actions
2 reasons we aren’t morally responsible for our actions
1) Hard determinists say that because we are determined by previous events, and have no free will to determine our personalities, we cannot be held responsible for our actions.
2) We can only be responsible for our actions if we are able to do better. Marx says that “ought implies can”. You only ought to do something if you can do it. If a good swimmer sees someone drowning they can be held responsible for not helping, but someone who can’t swim cannot be held responsible.
