free will and determinism Flashcards
what is free will
free will is the notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces
the notion of free will does not deny that there may be biological environmental forces that exert some influence on our behaviour but nevertheless imply that we are able to reject these forces as the masters of our own destiny
what is determinism
it is the view that an individual’s behaviour is shaped and controlled by internal or external forces rather than an individual’s will to do something
how does the idea of free will view behviour
it views free will as advocated by the humanistic approach
what are the different determinism views
soft determinism
hard determinism
biological determisnism
environmental determinism
psychic determinism
who proposed soft determinism
philosopher William James (1890)
James thought that whilst it may be the job of scientists to explain the many determining forces that act upon us, this does not detract from the freedom we have to make rational conscious choices in everyday situations
what is soft determinism an important feature of
it is an important feature of the cognitive approach
what do soft determinist state
whilst acknowledging that all human action has a cause,
soft determinists also suggest that there is some room for maneuver in that people have conscious mental control over the way they behave
what is hard determinism sometimes referred to as
it is sometimes referred to as fatalism
what is hard determinsim
hard determinists state that all behaviour has a cause and it should be possible to identify and describe these causes
Such a position is compatible with the aims of science
why is hard determinism compatible with the aims of science
it is compatible with the aims of science as it states that all behaviour has a cause and should be able to describe these causes. This means it is, therefore, possible to uncover causal laws that govern thought and action and always assumes that everything we think and do is dictated by internal or external forces that we cannot control
This is too extreme for some
which approach emphasises biological determinism
the biological approach
what is biological determinism
the belief that our behaviour is influenced by biological influences that we can’t control (e.g. genetic, hormonal)
what are some processes that we are not in control of
many of our psychological and neurological processes are not under our conscious control
e.g. influences of autonomic nervous systems during periods of stress and anxiety
modern biopsychologists would recognise the mediating influence of the environment on our biological structures
who proposed environmental determinism
BF Skinner described free will as an “illusion” argued that all behaviour is the result of conditioning
the idea of choice is merely the sum of total reinforcement that acts upon us throughout lives
what would environmental determinists say when someone states they are acting independently
our behaviour has been shaped by environmental events, as well as agents of socialisation - parents, teachers e.t.c.
