FREE WILL AND MORAL RESPONSIBILITY: The Extent Of Moral Responsibility

Question 1

Who was epicurus?

Answer 1

Greek philosopher

Question 2

What was epicurus’s view on moral responsibility?

Answer 2

Observation and science tend towards determinism:
We have no control over the forces of nature; we are entirely determined by forces and circumstances outside ourselves and beyond our control

Personal and moral experience tend towards free will:
Maximise happiness by living simply and peacefully

Question 3

What is determinism?

Answer 3

We are not free. We are determined by antecedent physical causes
The sense of freedom is an illusion brought about by the fact our brains are so complex
The mind is subject to causal laws

Question 4

What does a hard determinist think about freedom?

Answer 4

Freedom is an illusion
This ‘feeling of freedom’ is merely ignorance
Therefore we are not logically justified in claiming responsibility for our actions

Question 5

What is reductionism?

Answer 5

To understand a complex entity one should analyse it to the smallest component parts of which it is made
Therefore our actions are the result of chemical and electrical activity

Question 6

Who was Spinoza?

Answer 6

Dutch philosopher

Determinist

Question 7

What did Spinoza consider about freedom?

Answer 7

Everything is determined by physical causes

We merely consider ourselves free because we are ignorant of all the causes operating upon us

Question 8

What does scientific determinism hold?

Answer 8

All events are determined by antecedent events and states of affairs
No freedom of the will

Question 9

What does the WMAP image of the universe show us?

Answer 9

There is a complete sequence of cause and effect
An omnipotent mind would be aware of every part of that sequence and could reverse the process back to the Big Bang
Physics governs everything

Question 10

Quote from French physicist Laplace

Answer 10

We ought ‘to regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its anterior state and as the cause of the one which is to follow’

Question 11

Scientific determinism can be avoided if…

the laws of nature are probabilistic

Answer 11

Science produces theories for what has been observed experimentally
Therefore it is almost certain that our scientific theories are wrong- newer theories replace older ones
Scientific laws can only claim a degree of probability

Question 12

Scientific determinism might be avoided if…

the quantum world is indeterminate

Answer 12

It may be shown that there are entities that are not completely governed by the laws of nature
The laws governing the quantum world are indeterministic and probabilistic
Many worlds interpretation is deterministic

Question 13

Who is B. F. Skinner?

Answer 13

American psychologist and behaviourist

Question 14

What is skinner’s psychological behaviourism?

Answer 14

All behaviour is a product of genetic and environmental conditions
If an action has good consequences then the brain becomes disposed to repeat it

Question 15

What is Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov’s experiment in behavioural psychology?

Answer 15

Pavlovs dogs

Culminated in the idea of classical conditioning

Question 16

What is determinism according to skinner?

Answer 16

‘Complete’

Question 17

Who is Noam Chomsky?

Answer 17

American philosopher and cognitive scientist

Question 18

What is Chomsky’s criticism of skinner?

Answer 18

His proposals are an example of futile behaviourist speculation and assumption

Question 19

General criticisms of skinner

Answer 19

His application of the principles of animal behaviour to the more complex human behaviour is unsound
If human behaviour is a set of conditioned responses determined by genetics and the environment, his own behavioural thesis is an example of a conditioned response so why should we listen to it?

Question 20

What is theological determinism?

Answer 20

A view of hard determinism that is rooted in the Christian idea that God is omniscient
Led Calvin and Augustine to the doctrine of predestination
God’s foreknowledge must be causal because if God knows you’ll do x in the future you can’t avoid doing x
All events in the universe are determined by God’s omniscience

Question 21

Evaluating theological determinism

A timeless God

Answer 21

Aquinas views God as existing timelessly- God sees history timelessly
God’s omniscience means he sees the results of our future free choices but doesn’t cause them
God has the power to intervene and control but does not

Question 22

Evaluating theological determinism

A temporal God

Answer 22

God exists in time; can’t see the future

In the physical universe, the future hasn’t happened yet. A temporal God wouldn’t know the future

Question 23

Who is Libet?

Answer 23

American neuroscientist

Question 24

What did Libet’s experiments show?

Answer 24

The will is the result of determined electrical brain processes

Question 25

How does Libet deny the brain as determined?

Answer 25

He argued that the brain can veto pre conscious intentions and that the veto appears to be freely chosen

Question 26

What is libertarianism?

Answer 26

We are free moral agents
Human behaviour is not determined by external causes
Forward looking- concerned with the future whereas determinism looks at prior causes that determine an event

Question 27

What is compatibilism?

Answer 27

Determinism is compatible with our experience of freedom and moral responsibility
An action is free if the agent could have done otherwise

Question 28

What do libertarians thing about decision making?

Answer 28

All our experience of decision making and following moral principles suggests we are free as we can choose what to do
We have a sense of moral responsibility

Question 29

So libertarians accept limitations on human behaviour?

Answer 29

Yes because complete freedom would lead to paralysis

There exist physical, psychological and social limitations

Question 30

The paralysis of complete freedom

Answer 30

Complete freedom would be like being set down in the middle of a featureless, flat landscape and trying to decide where to go
The actual experience of freedom requires limitations in order to make sense

Question 31

Arguments in favour of libertarianism

Answer 31

Most of us assume we are free

Those who claim we are determined are merely making a determined statement so why should we pay attention to it?

Question 32

Hume on compatibilism

Answer 32

We have a liberty of spontaneity (doing what you desire) rather than liberty of indifference (freedom from necessity)
The kind of necessity required by causal determinism isn’t logical necessity. Laws or nature don’t have this kind of necessity; what we see in nature is constant conjunction (events happen close together) but this kind of conjunction isn’t logically necessary
Constant conjunction is in human nature- human actions stem from human choices. Freedom requires determinism because our wishes and desires aren’t random

Question 33

Oliver McAdoo definition of the liberty of spontaneity

Answer 33

Doing what I desire rather than choosing what I desire

Question 34

Weaknesses of Hume

Answer 34

Wishes and desires are determined

Human reason becomes redundant- everything is watered down to constant conjunction

Question 35

Weakness of determinism

Answer 35

The discussion of determinism must be determined

Question 36

Weakness of libertarianism

Answer 36

There is no convincing answer as to how the brain can act freely