Issues And Debates: Free Will And Determinism Flashcards
Free will is
The notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces
We are in charge of our lives
Determinism is
Individual beh is shaped by or controlled by internal or external forces rather than an individuals will to do something
5 types of determinism
Hard determinism
Soft determinism
Biological determinism
Environmental determinism
Psychic determinism
Hard determinism
All human behaviour has a cause
In principle it should be possible to identify and describe these causes
Always assumes that everything we think and do is dictated by internal or external forces we can’t control
This is a very extreme view
Which approaches suffer from hard determinism
Biological and behaviourist approach
Soft determinism
Acknowledges that all human actions has a cause
Also suggests that there is some room to manoeuvre
People have conscious mental control over the way they behave
Soft determinism is clearly linked to what approach?
Cognitive approach and social learning theory
Biological determinism
Behaviour is caused by biological (genetic, hormonal, evolutionary) influences we cannot control
We can’t control our physiological and neurological processes such as stress and anxiety
Genetics and mental disorders
Hormones like testosterone in aggression
More modern biologists do accept some interaction between environment on our biological structures
Biological determinism is closely linked to what approach?
Biological approach
Environmental determinism
All beh due to conditioning (skinner)
Our experiences of choice is the sum total of reinforcement contingencies that have acted upon us throughout our lives
We think we are acting independently but our behaviour is being shaped by environmental factors
Psychic determinism
Freud thinks free will is an illusion
Places a lot of emphasis on biological drives
Human behaviour is determined and directed by unconscious conflicts repressed in childhood
There is no such thing as an accident
We can’t control these unconscious conflict’s
The scientific emphasis on causal explanations
• General principle of science is that every event in the universe has a cause and that causes can be explained using general laws
• Allows scientists to predict and control events in the future
• In psychology the lab experiment enables researchers to simulate the conditions of a test tube
• Remove all extraneous variables to precisely predict and control human behaviour
(The more deterministic a theory is the more scientific it is)
The case for determinism
• It’s consistent with the aims of science
• Prediction and control of human behaviour has led to the development of treatments, therapies and behavioural interventions
• E.g., drug therapies in treating schizophrenia
• Ethical for mental illness behaviour is determined
• Schizophrenia you lose control of your mind but it’s not due to free will/ choice
The case against determinism
The stance that individual choice is not the cause if behaviour is not consistent with our legal system
• You are morally accountable for your actions
• Determinism as an approach is un-falsifiable
• Based on the idea that causes of behaviour will always exist even though they haven’t been found yet
• This as a principle is impossible to prove wrong
• Maybe not as scientific as it first appears……
Case for free will
Every day we experience a time where we need to make to choices
This gives it face validity - it makes cognitive sense
People who have an internal LOC feel they are in control of their life and are in control of events
Case against free will
Surely every choice we make in life there is something determining that choice
There’s even evidence in the the brain that go against this concept of free will
Soon (2008)
Case against free will (soon 2008)
Showed that brain activity determines the outcome of simple choices may predate our knowledge of having made such choice
Found that the activity related to whether to push a button e left or right hand occurs in the brain up to 10 secs before pts report being consciously aware of decision
Refer two topics for free will and 2 for determinism
Forensics - biological approach atavistic and external LOC - determinism
Internal LOC + humanistic approach - free will
