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Chapter 9: Are We Free or Determined?

Delve into the debate on free will and determinism, from fatalism to libertarianism, questioning human responsibility and moral justice. Are we truly free, or are our actions predetermined by cosmic forces?

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Chapter 9: Are We Free or Determined?

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  1. Chapter 9: Are We Free or Determined?

  2. Introduction • Determinism – all events are caused • Fatalism – events are predetermined by some impersonal cosmic force or power • Predestination – events are predetermined by some personal power • Problem of freedom and determinism – If all events are caused, then how can any human action be free?

  3. Introduction • The dilemma • Human choice is either free or not free • If it is free, then the law of causality is false • If it is not free, then people are not responsible for their actions • Therefore, either the law of causality is false, or people are not responsible for their actions

  4. The Case of Dr. SvengaliJonathan Harrison • Uses science fiction to explore issues of freedom and determinism • Dr. Svengali is able to determine the actions of the housekeeper, but he is unable to successfully control her will without unwanted consequences

  5. We Are Determined • Hard determinism – every event has a cause that is incompatible with free will • Simple determinism is not necessarily incompatible with free will

  6. Not Guilty Robert Blatchford • Blatchford denies that humans are free to rise above heredity and environment • Rewards and punishments cannot be based on human responsibility • A man is free to act as he chooses to act, but what causes him to choose?

  7. We Are Free • Libertarianism – some human choices, such as moral choices for which we are responsible, are not determined by antecedent events

  8. ExistentialismJean-Paul Sartre • Existentialism – existence precedes essence. Man defines himself after he exists • If human nature is not predetermined but is something that we create as we make decisions, then we are radically free

  9. Karma and Freedom • The law of karma states that as each sows, he shall reap. Past and present actions determine future spiritual, moral, and physical conditions • The perfect law of moral justice operates automatically in the universe

  10. Karma and FreedomSarvepalli Radhakrishnan • Radhakrishnan supports a type of libertarianism • Agent causation – when your whole self is the agent that causes you to choose and act, then you are free • What is the self?

  11. We Are Both Free and Determined • Soft determinism – every event has a cause, and this fact is compatible with human freedom. • Compatibilism – even if determinism is true, people ought to be held responsible for those actions they do voluntarily

  12. Chanelle, Sabrina, and the OboeBruce N. Waller • Explores the soft determinist position • Rejects the idea of moral responsibility • Distinguishes between taking (or “taken”) responsibility and moral responsibility • Taken responsibility does not necessitate rewards and punishment

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