Free Will and Moral Responsible Flashcards
What is free will
The ability to freely choose to act (comission) or not act (omission) in any given circumstance. Free will can only be achieved f people are truly able to freely choose without any external force acting upon them
What is moral responsibility
The idea that people should be held responsible for their actions, and this receive rewards and punishments accordingly
Why does freedom have to be a condition of moral responsibility
If we are able to freely perform actions, it makes sense that we are held morally responsible for them.
Freedom therefore becomes a condition of moral responsibility
We should accept the blame for actions that we freely perform
What is the basic premise of Determinism
we don’t have free will, it is an illusion and our behaviour is predetermined according to a number of external causes
What does determinism mean for moral responsibility
people can’t be considered to be morally redouble for their actions since they are only acting in this way because of prior circumstances. when faced with a moral dilemma, whatever the conclusion will be is already predetermined.
What is theological determinism?
God is omniscient
John Calvin - predetermination ‘God has already decided who are the ‘elect’
What is scientific determinism
We have no control over the forces of nature, therefore humans are not morally free, every situation they are in is determined by a prior natural cause
Reductionism - reducing something to its smallest parts, science supports the fact that all events have a prior cause
What is psychological determinism
B.F. Skinner argued that all behaviour is a product of our genetics and environmental conditions. Humans actions are the result of the consequences of previous actions
What is libertarianism
We have total free will and we should be held morally responsible for our actions
What scholars support Libertarian ism
Kant
What did Kant have to say about Libertarianism
He argues that morality is what we ought to do. He says ‘ought implies can’ knowing what we should do shows that we are morally free to choose this action
What does Libertarianism mean for moral responsibility
We have a duty to behave morally and it is right for us to receive reward and punishment for our actions.
Breaking her law is wrong it limits other people’s freedom
What is the basic premise of comptibilism
It is the belief that free will and determinism are compatible ideas and that it is possible to believe in both without being logically inconsistent
What scholars support compatibilism
Aquinas and Hume
What did Hume say about comparibilism
We can’t blame people for things they do ignorantly and blame them less for things that weren’t premeditated. Any sense of moral blame can only come if something we do is the result of our character
