determinism and free will Flashcards
What is hard determinism?
Everything in the universe and humans have a prior cause, universal causation. A causal necessity that an effect follows on from a prior cause. The prior cause is external (free wills don’t have free will to decide)
What was John locked reason for hard determinism?
He believed every action has predetermined choices, every action is due to an action caused before it . No way of going to change what is going to happen in the futuree “free will is just an illusion” Sleeping man in a. dark room
What is soft determinism?
Free will and determisim are compatible.
2 types of causes; internal (voluntary, comes within the persons mind personality and wishes) Choice to own will
External- Person cannot act in accordance with own desires; compelled to act. Can’t blame/praise
A person can be considered to have moral responsibility if internal.
What did d’holbach believe about determinism?
Was a hard determininst who believed free will is an illusion, man is connected to nature; humans are material things which are depended on immutable laws (laws of science) His solution was for humans to be free an action must be independent of determining causes, no action is indepdenet of determining human causes
Which person argues again hard determisim?
G.E Moore-
What did pelagius say about free will?
Pelagius didn’t believe there was grace and said it wasn’t needed for eternal life, humans only needed the declaration of the law, Humans can resist anything because they have free will. Denied humans being sinful at birth and through Adam and eve, no need for grace to gain eternal life
What biblical support about Jesus do we know that god does use predetermiskm?
This argument for god being omniscient and all knowing is presented in passages like God predetermising that the Messiah will come
The proverbs “The lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble”
What evidence is there in the bible that Jesus predestined his own people?
People are chosen by god for his own purposes; king David, the levies. Jesus chose the apostles-wasnt]’t their decision to follow him.
What evidence is there in the Bible that God made people delierbaltey evil?
Pharaoh, Judas he left them to their own evil to make them evil, never causes them to be good
What evidence is there for choosing of salvation among people?
Jesus in the Nt says that God chose people for salvation “you did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you (JN 15:16).
What does Paul say about predesitnation?
“He chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (eps 1:4-5), and those he foreknew he predestined, he called; God knows and predestines those he knows, to follow Jesus.
What evidence is there in the Bible for supporting free will?
Genesis; choice to eat from the tree
Moses; have the jews a choice to follow gods law and be blessed.
“for as in Adam all die, so also in christ all shall be made alive) corinthians
What does the Catholic Church say about predetermisim?
We are still determined like agustians view- man is free but free will and human nature are still wounded by concupiscence, Gods grace is necessary to restore and heal us to our original freedom. Human freedom is wounded by ai. Salvation depends on God’s healing actopm- depends on who god wants to give eternal life to (grave)
What does the Methodist church say about free will?
Armius believed christ died for everyone, up to the individual to choose whether or not to accept God’s grace in Christ. John Wesley “a person is free not only to accept salvation, but to reject it” Humans are free to choose whether they want to be saved or rejected- although being guided by the holy spiit.
What is the theological view on predestination omnipotence?
if god is an omnipotent god, then it must be true his plans Come to pass no matter what we decide, if humans decided what happens them god would not be omnipotent.
What is the libet experiment?
wired objects to a machine and constructed an experiment for them to move their hand whenever they felt like it and record the difference in seconds of when their brain activity told them to do that- the conscious thought didn’t cause the movement as there is brain activity 100 ms before. Some were ekptical. The brain had brain activity before the moveoemtn
What may be another reason to suggest something other than our actions being determined or by free will?
Social conditioning, being brought up by our environment and our upbringing; Clarence Darrow The Darrow case illustrates that these boys weren’t responsible for the murders due to their bad upbringing and environment.
What may people argue towards the Darrow case?
These boys can be blamed due to their free will, but also their upbringing should have been a lesson to them to not perform acts like that. It wasn’t sociologically determined in any way. If I was bought up with a family who beat other people up for fun, this does not mean I am sociologically determined to do this as well, I could listen to my conscience which some may argue is the voice of God which would tell me hurting others is wrong. This crime was inherent
What are the advantages to hard determisim?
There are causes to our behaviour
May be down to genetics
Reinforces the idea of predestination God shows who will be saved and who won’t be
Benedict Spinoza says that free will is an illusion
What are the disadvantages of hard determisim?
May lead to lack of law and order
We are not morally responsible
People cannot be praised o blamed fo their actions
What was Thomas Hobbes analogy of determisim?
“a billiard ball rolling along the table” with “its motion altered by the force of another billiard ball which strikes it”
Which scientist agreed with hard determisim?
“All actions are movements caused by states of the brain
What does Augustine say about free will?
It has been “utterly wasted by sin”
What is consicupence?
We are more inclined towards pursuing and satisfying our lower, sensual pleasures than on pursing truth, goodness, god. Consicupence overrides our essentially free human nature (liberium arbitrium) creates a sinful second nature for humanity.
Why did Augustine say no one can escape human sin?
As we are Adams desendenetas, “all humans were seminally present in the loins of Adam”
All humans are created in the consicupence , into the activity in sex. Sex became consicupeent
What did Augustine believe on God’s grave?
God wanted everyone to be restored from sin as he was omnibenevolent . Grace is a gift not a reward and he didn’t give it as humans deserved it.
Its uo to God whether to bestow the grace on some rather than others.
What are the reprobates?
Those who aren’t chosen and remain int he messca Patti”
What are the reprobates?
Those who aren’t chosen and remain int he messca Patti”
