Free Will And Determinism Flashcards
What is Free Will?
The idea of freedom is of central importance to any ethical discussion. Freedom here concerns the idea of metaphysical freedom i.e. the ability to make choices, including moral ones.
Explain the development of Christian thought on Free Will.
Paul implies that people possess the freedom to make moral judgements. Augustine was influenced by Paul’s views on freedom to defend God’s existence despite so much evil and suffering in the world.
Rene Descartes argued that humans are free and have the ability to “do or not do something”.
Explain the views of Christian denominations on Free Will.
Some Protestant denominations reject the idea of Free Will and believe in predestination, a form of theological determinism that asserts that God has a specific path marked out for each individual.
Explain some secular views on Free Will.
Satre argues that free will is “…the most central and defining feature of the human experience…”. He argued that because individuals are free to direct their lives as we please, they must take responsibility for their actions.
Kant believed that if people were not free, they simply could not make moral choices. Freedom, according to Kant, is the quality that sets humans apart from animals.
What is Hard Determinism?
It is the theory that “…all events, including moral choices, are determined by previously existing causes…”. It is the most extreme form of Determinism and it refers to the belief that we have no autonomy.
Explain some views on Hard Determinism.
John Locke thought that the belief that we are free was nothing more than an illusion. He uses the analogy of a man in a room.
Benedict Spinoza agrees with this view as people are ignorant simply because they don’t fully understand how their brain processes information.
What is Soft Determinism?
Proponents of Soft Determinism argue that there are physical, psychological and social limits to personal autonomy.
Explain some Soft Determinist views.
David Hume argued that both free will and determinism are a feature of moral living.
Richard Dawkins believes that our behaviour is a result of our Darwinian past and that humans don’t act morally because of religion but because that is how we have evolved.
