In the “Problems of Philosophy”, Chapter 9: “The Debate Over Free Will”, James Rachels and Stuart Rachels, investigate over freewill. Throughout the chapter the authors discuss what free will means and the ways to evaluate if we are free. The chapter moves towards the Free Will Argument using the Determinist Argument, the Libertarian Response, the Compatibilist Response and additionally covering the ethics involved with the chapter of free will. The chapter begins with the determinist argument which claims that everything that happens must happen, given the law of nature and the history of the universe.…
J.J.C. Smart’s Explanation for an Accurate Account of Descriptive Intermediate Failure to Properly Distinguish Something between Determinism and Pure Chance. In the essay “Free Will, Praise and Blame” included in Free Will, J.J.C Smart presents the thesis that metaphysical freedom is self-contradictory. As part of this claim, Smart forwards the analogies of the aluminium and the china plates (Smart 67). Having the knowledge of physical properties, the likelihood of a plate made of aluminium breaking when dropped is “not an open possibility” (Smart 66).…
In this paper, I will argue that compatibilism is the only viable position in the debate concerning free will and determinism. In doing so, I will present, explain, and critically evaluate compatibilism. I will then consider, but ultimately reject, the following two objections against compatibilism: the hard determinists’ beliefs that we have no free will due to causal determinism and the libertarians’ belief that we are not causally determined. Compatibilism is the belief that causal determinism and free will are both true. Causal determinism is the idea that “all events are caused,” and events only happen if particular causes of those events occur (Kessler 470).…
Incompatibilism and compatibilism are theories about the relationship between determinism and free will. Compatibilism is the idea that free will and determinism can coexist. Incompatibilists deny this by way of two theories; the denial of determinism (libertarianism) and the denial of free will. Determinism is the theory that every event was determined by a previous existing cause. Given the laws of nature and the initial state of the universe, there is only one possible course of history; and this is the basis of determinism.…
The debate of Free Will v Determinism is one that has gone on for centuries, and shall continue to go on for many to come. There are many who believe that their view is the end all, be all, correct view to hold. While not all of these thinkers are correct in their standings, Paul Holbach’s essay, “The Illusion of Free Will,” lays out a strong argument for universal determinism; man does not have any free will, and all of his actions are determined by the laws of nature. His argument is one that is accurate and strong, leaving little to criticize, despite what many believe to be proof that he is incorrect: the presence of choice and the absence of restraint. He takes these two beliefs and shows exactly why they do not denote free will, and all…
It seems that determinism are in conflict with free will. Compatibilism is a concept that free will and determinism are compatible. In this paper, I will first state the contradiction between free will and determinism, then illustrate what is compatibilism, with most of the the problem that a compatibilist would face regarding freedom. To begin, determinism is that “human behavior is entirely governed by causal law” (Ayer, 1954, p.271).…
At first glance it seems obvious that humans have free will. For example, if someone chooses chocolate ice cream over vanilla, it seems intuitive that they made that choice. Determinists, however, raise doubt into whether free will exists. A determinist believes that everything that happens in the universe is predetermined and can 't be changed. According to the determinist, an omniscient being would be able to predict everything that will ever happen just from the current state of the universe.…
The discussion of morals and moral responsibility is deep-seated in the classic philosophical repertoire. A closely related matter, and a frequent objection to moral responsibility, is determinism, the idea that given the initial state and laws of the universe, all future events and outcomes are completely determined. Over the course of this paper, I describe a particular theory for how moral responsibility can exist even in a deterministic universe. One prominent view in the realm of moral responsibility is the libertarian stance.…
- Compatibilism: ○ Free-will goes along with determinism because of moral responsibility. (accountability) ○ Or...our actions are determined, but we can still be held responsible for our voluntary actions - Based on how free-will is understood ○ Free-will in this case is the way one acts on their own § freedom of the will to act, or not act, without coercion - Our heredity/past determines how we act.…
Epicurus was one of the first philosophers to consider the problem of evil and his question; “if He is both willing and able (to take away all evils), which alone is suitable to God, from what source then are evils? Or why does He not remove them?” , summarises concisely the issue which has been at the forefront of philosophical argument for thousands of years. To explore this question I will first consider what God is. In this essay I will refer to God in the orthodox monotheistic sense of the word as an omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent being. Likewise, evil refers to all that is bad in the world.…
We like to think that we have free will that we have a choice in how to live our lives that we can achieve anything we want in life as long as we choose to work hard and stay motivated. We hear about those great success stories about people making it to the top thanks to their efforts. But it is not always that way. For most people the story is different, even though they choose to work hard and sacrifice in many ways, they still cannot achieve their goals and dreams. Sometimes it is not up to us.…
Chapter nine in Problems from Philosophy by James Rachels and Stuart Rachels titled “The Debate Over Free Will” is about the three arguments over free will. They are Determinism, Libertarianism, and Compatibilism. The Determinism argument is, as Rachels states, that our actions are manipulated by forces we cannot control. The second argument Rachels presents is Libertarianism which states that some actions we freely choose and that we are also not made to do so. The last argument is Compatibilism and according to Rachels, it states that actions are both free and determined.…
Throughout any day of ones life they make decisions that can impact the future for them and others, but is there determinism or free will behind the choices? In life many will make decisions that they feel are their own free will and some will make decisions and say it was a result of the environment they are in and that due to something that previously happened to them was a result in their purposeful choice or intention. Determinism is something that everyone lives with on a daily basis and shows how the environment has had influence on one’s live. Determinism is the doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. Using determinism is something that is used in the process of making the choice, however it is something that usually cannot be controlled by a person before the action takes place.…
Introduction I. In this paper, I will be arguing for the following claim that we, human beings are not predetermined beings, but rather we have free will. It has long been argued that people are not free and do not have free will; that rather than having free will we live in a world that is predetermined. That our choices and actions are reflections of and happen because of a long line of other choices and action that caused the present, and thus we have a fixed future. This is just not the case.…
Free Will and Determinism have been discussed by philosophers for many years. Free will is associated with moral responsibility, and alternative actions that “could have” been taken over the one chosen. Determinism is the opposite view, and is associated with universal causation, and a lack of free will. Determinists believe that a person’s actions are inevitable, they are dictated by a person’s experiences, they believe nurture, nature, and even a person’s genes determine their future actions. Because of this determinists believe people hold no moral responsibility for their actions.…