Free Will and Moral Responsibility

Question 1

What is compatibilism?

Answer 1

Compatibilism is the view that free will and determinism are compatible with one another

Question 2

What was Spinoza’s views?

Answer 2

Spinoza stated that free will is an illusion and everything has already been determined through physics. Spinoza also states that ‘If you knew everything there is to know, then you would understand that there are very good reasons for every apparently ‘free’ choice that you make’ - we would understand that our choices are determined

Spinoza states that freedom is ‘dreaming with eyes open’

Question 3

What does liberty of spontaneity mean?

Answer 3

The ability to make our own choices

Question 4

What does constant conjunction mean?

Answer 4

Constant conjunction is a theory of causation and causality and it states that event a is always accompanied by the consequent events of event b

Question 5

What does liberty of indifference mean?

Answer 5

freedom from necessity being free of causal necessity

Question 6

How does Hume define Necessity?

Answer 6

Something that has to happen it is need to happen we cannot say that constant conjunction is necessary

Hume also states ‘we just know we ought to respond positively to those in
need of our help’

Question 7

What are the thinkers of

• Scientific Determinism
• Theological Determinism
• Psychological Determinism

Answer 7

Scientific= Laplace
Theological= Calvin
Psychological= Skinner and Pavlov

Question 8

What are our limitations to true complete freedom?

Answer 8

• physical limitations
• psychological limitations
• human laws ( judicial system)
• social limitations

Question 9

Define and explain what ‘The paralysis of complete freedom’ is trying to state?

Answer 9

We as humans can never be totally free as there needs to be limitations to help us choose what we want . If we were completely free all of our actions that we would likely choose are determined and conditioned through how are personality is wired and how our previous experiences shaped us today.

Question 10

How does Hume define human freedom?

Answer 10

” a power of acting or not acting, according to the determinations of the will”

Question 11

What are the views of Epicurus?

Answer 11

• Epicurus was an ‘Atomists’ that the world consisted entirely of atoms within a void
• He observes that an issue is that observation and science tends towards Determinism; personal and moral experience tend towards free will.

Question 12

What are most (not all) libertarians ?

Answer 12

• They are mind-body dualists

This follows from the view of Descartes, that the mind is a separate substance from the physical body and brain, and is able to act freely in the physical world

Question 13

What is a better way of saying pre-determined?

Answer 13

Pre-ordained

Question 14

When talking about Libertarianism when talking about reward and punishment how does Kant’s ‘Ought implies Can’ apply here?

Answer 14

• It is a libertarianism point of view; we feel the moral compulsion concerning what we ‘ought’ to do, which strongly suggests that we are able/free to do it

Question 15

When talking about determinism and reward and punishment what is Skinner’s key quote?

Answer 15

” It should be possible to design a world in which behaviour likely to be punished seldom or never occurs”

Skinner states that punishing people for antisocial behaviour is not really effective

Question 16

Since Skinner in a way supports libertarianism as he admits that people do have the freedom to do otherwise what phrase can we call skinner?`

Answer 16

“Closet libertarianism”

Question 17

What are the 3 sources of a persons moral awareness in telling right from wrong?

Answer 17

• Innate moral sense
• We learn right and wrong from a social context - right and wrong are culturally conditioned and will therefore vary from society to society - in other words there appears to be moral relativism
• Religion - Each religion presents its followers with fundamental moral principles, and sets of practical moral rules, which serve to define the way of life of that particular religious group

Question 18

Why does Hume believe that the controversy about freedom and determinism has been made difficult?

Answer 18

Because philosophers have not defined their terms with sufficient accuracy

Question 19

What does McAdoo state when summarising Hume’s views on compatibilism?

Answer 19

• Hume claims that our freedom lie neatly in being able to carry out our desires without human interference and restraint from external factors. On this basis, freedom is not only compatible with Determinism it requires it.

Freedom is an expression of one’s character, to act accordingly to one’s desires