Free Will and Determinism Notes Flashcards
“Hourly I howl the change in my fate.” Is said by who?
Kata Szidonia Petroczi
As humans we generally believe that we have free will, but in a universe where __________ is the norm, is it possible that we might have ______ to act independently?
causality, freedom
Determinism is
the view that our actions are determined by forces that are beyond our control.
One form of determinism argues that since all events are caused by events which precede them, any action can only be the result of _______ conditions.
previous
The 19th century scientist and mathematician _____ _______ ______ wrote that if there was an intelligence great enough to know all of the forces acting in nature at any moment in time, that intelligence would be able to predict the _____.
Pierre Simon Laplace, future
Laplace argued that every event is _____ by previous events, ___________ causality.
caused, universal
Laplace described the universe as a complete and __________ system and that the human belief in chance events arises from our ______ of the causes of that ‘chance’ event.
integrated, ignorance
Laplace cited the appearance of _____, believed in the ancient world to be chance events, but later proved to be traveling on ________ flight paths.
comets, determined
Laplace believed that humans were similarly governed and freedom was an _________.
illusion
Every human action, no matter how grand or ___________, has a set of causes.
insignificant
It is impossible to avoid the forces of _________.
causality
Psychoanalytical __________ are convinced the causes of our adult behaviour can be found in our __________, and other deterministics believe the behaviours of our youth are caused by our ________ blueprint.
psychologists, childhood, genetic
Behavioural psychologist _________ argued that every human action was the product of a specific genetic blueprint or of reinforcing experiences.
B.F. Skinner
To Skinner, our belief in free will was based on ___________.
superstition
Baruch __________ argued that we are conscious of our desires but __________ of the causes of those desires much as baby may feel it has chosen to desire ____.
Spinoza, unconscious, milk
“Freedom is not for the ________.”
timid
Libertarianism is
the belief that we have free will and can make free choices in life.
Some examples of libertairianism are we can choose:
to buy an ice cream cone, to attend school, to marry or to become a truck driver, or not.
Existentialist philosophers such as ______ have told us that we must accept this freedom, and the __________ that go with it whether we like it or not.
Sartre, responsibilities
Many religions, such as _________, assume that all humans have the choice to do good or evil with their lives.
Christianity
The Buddha can only tell you the way; it is for _________ to make the effort.
yourself
Compatibilism/Soft Determinism attempts to
reconcile freedom with determinism.
Compatibilism/Soft Determinism suggests that
while outside force do indeed act on us, an individual is still free to make a decision based on their desires and wishes.
to a Nihilists, life is
meaningless and absurd. All the choices that you make are pointless, and our lives and the decisions we make seem to matter is only an illusion.
How do soft determinists agree with determinists?
everything is influenced and has a cause
How do soft determinists agree with libertarianists?
some human actions are free.
How do soft determinists disagree with libertarianists?
not all human actions are free, ex. sneezing because of an allergy vs. sneezing to pretend you have a cold
How do soft determinists disagree with deteminists?
not everything is determined in life, set in stone.
