Mauliola Gonsalves
Professor Liu
Philosophy 201
22 October 2017
Determinism and Freedom:
Hard Determinism, Libertarianism and Compatibilism As humans, we are constantly faced with judgement. Most conclusions drawn from judgement are based on our actions. Every decision made by an individual influences their reputation. Some would argue that this is not an accurate representation of an individual because humans are not free to make their own choices; therefore, they should not be held accountable for their actions. This question of determinism and freedom can be addressed through the following responses: hard determinism, libertarianism and compatibilism. I believe that the best philosophical rational to view determinism and freedom is compatibilism. Determinism is best evaluated through Chisholm’s dilemma of responsibility that states that if determinism, or the belief that all actions are pre-determined, is true, humans are not responsible for their actions and that if indeterminism, or the belief that all actions are random, is true, humans are not responsible for their actions. As contradictory logics, either determinism or indeterminism must be …show more content…
With every action pre-determined, there is no freedom to make choices for oneself; therefore, humans are not responsible for their actions. Although the argument made by hard determinist is the easiest to support, I do not agree with the argument that is being made. Hard determinist claim that because our actions are predetermined, humans cannot claim responsibility for their own actions. Given the amount of choices in any given situation, I believe that it is unrealistic to believe that human freedom of choice has no influence on the actions that we perform. In our society, we held people accountable for their actions because we believe that regardless of the belief in a higher power, we choose to partake in the actions that we
Professor Liu
Philosophy 201
22 October 2017
Determinism and Freedom:
Hard Determinism, Libertarianism and Compatibilism As humans, we are constantly faced with judgement. Most conclusions drawn from judgement are based on our actions. Every decision made by an individual influences their reputation. Some would argue that this is not an accurate representation of an individual because humans are not free to make their own choices; therefore, they should not be held accountable for their actions. This question of determinism and freedom can be addressed through the following responses: hard determinism, libertarianism and compatibilism. I believe that the best philosophical rational to view determinism and freedom is compatibilism. Determinism is best evaluated through Chisholm’s dilemma of responsibility that states that if determinism, or the belief that all actions are pre-determined, is true, humans are not responsible for their actions and that if indeterminism, or the belief that all actions are random, is true, humans are not responsible for their actions. As contradictory logics, either determinism or indeterminism must be …show more content…
With every action pre-determined, there is no freedom to make choices for oneself; therefore, humans are not responsible for their actions. Although the argument made by hard determinist is the easiest to support, I do not agree with the argument that is being made. Hard determinist claim that because our actions are predetermined, humans cannot claim responsibility for their own actions. Given the amount of choices in any given situation, I believe that it is unrealistic to believe that human freedom of choice has no influence on the actions that we perform. In our society, we held people accountable for their actions because we believe that regardless of the belief in a higher power, we choose to partake in the actions that we