Hard determinism and soft determinism

Question 1

main principles of hard determinism

Answer 1

• all actions are caused by internal and external factors
• therefore no moral responsibility for actions needs to be accepted
• our lives are completely determined by other factors-what we do is not within our control
• no decision is genuine

Question 2

Spinoza (2)

Answer 2

‘there is absolutely no free will’

‘the mind is determined to wish for this or that by a cause’

Question 3

weakness of hard determinism

Answer 3

would this give people the excuse to go against society, only to justify their actions wight the notions that they cannot change who they are

Question 4

Sam Harris

Answer 4

you cannot decide what your will will decide’

Question 5

Darrow

Answer 5

‘nature is as strong as she is pittiless’

Question 6

John Hospers believers

Answer 6

it is all a matter of luck – therefore if you have a good life it is not down to you, you have just been lucky- fortunate to have certain determining factors influencing you

Question 7

volataire (2)

Answer 7

we can only be who we are ‘pear trees cannot bear bananas’

‘everything is planned connected and limited’

Question 8

H determinism in real life

Answer 8

Clarence Daroow and Leopold and Loeb case

Question 9

Leopold and Loeb case

Answer 9

1924
american lawyer Darrow used h determinism to save two ui students from the death penalty after they tried t commit the ‘perfect murder’. He argued that the boys had diminished responsibility because they were merely a product of their upbringing- ‘he did not make himself, yet he is compelled to pay’. They got life imprisonment instead of death penalty.

Question 10

main principles of soft determinism

Answer 10

• mid way between h determinism and libertarianism
• while we are compelled by external factors, we still have ultimate free will in making decisions
• we have moral responsibility–> however factors should be taken into consideration
• accepts that all are actions are determined; but also that moral self can override personality

Question 11

internal factors

Answer 11

genes

Question 12

external

Answer 12

upbringing; drugs; money etc

Question 13

Ghandi and S.determinsim

Answer 13

‘Ghandi starved himself to save india’

or did he starve himself because he had a good upbringing and education; which caused him to notice the injustice in India and have the power to change things?

There is a difference between Ghandi choosing to fast and a man being locked up without food. In both cases, the actions are determined and the men could not do otherwise

Question 14

if h determinism is correct

Answer 14

• no freedom in the sense of morality
• no point in punishment oe blaming- once they cannot help it or change.
• People are not ‘better or worse’ they are only different- therefore if you change it is because you have it in you.
• notion of sin becomes incoherent- exemption from sin is pointless
• person can not be thought of as special or higher than others as they did not determine theirsuccess- no reward