free will v determinism Flashcards
what is free will?
free will is the notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external factors.
what is determinism?
determinism is the view that an individuals behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external factors, rather than the individuals will to do something.
what are the five types of determinism?
hard determinism, soft determinism, biological determinism, environmental determinism, psychic determinism.
what is hard determinism?
hard determinism implies that free will is not possible as our behaviour is always caused by internal or external events that are beyond our control.
what is biological determinism?
biological determinism is the belief that behaviour is caused by biological influences that we cannot control.
Influences such as genetic, hormonal and evolutionary.
what is environmental determinism?
the belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment that we cannot control.
Features such as systems of rewards and punishment.
what is psychic determinism?
the belief that behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control.
what is soft determinism?
all events, including human behaviour, have causes, but behaviour can also be determined by our conscious choices in the absence of pressure.
hard determinism is compatible with what?
hard determinism is compatible with the aims of science - to establish causal explanations for thoughts and behaviours which are internal or external forces that we cannot control.
who first put up the notion of soft determinism? What is it an important feature of?
James Locke (1980)
It’s an important feature of the cognitive approach.
what does soft determinism suggest?
soft determinism suggests that although human actions do have a cause, people do still have some conscious mental control over the way that they behave.
(soft determinism) although scientists investigate the forces upon us …
… this does not detract from the freedom that we have to make rational conscious choices.
a belief in free will does not deny that there may be … and … forces that exert some influence on our behaviour, but suggests we are able to … these forces as matters of our own …
a belief in free will does not deny that there may be BIOLOGICAL and ENVIRONMENTAL forces that exert some influence on our behaviour, but suggests we are able to RESIST these forces as matters of our own DESTINY.
what is the free will-determinism debate?
the debate revolves around the extent to which our behaviour is the result of forces over which we have no control (determinism) or whether people are able to decide for themselves whether to act or behave in a certain way (free will).
what is one of the basic principles of science in relation to hard determinism?
every event in the universe has a cause and the causes can be explained using general laws (hard determinism).
