Free vs. Paid Essay

that a preceded event had forced him to interact with him so Marty’s actions were his own choice. Encountering his father in the past was a determined event but his interaction with him was a deliberate decision. This idea that determined actions and free will are compatible with each other is known as compatibilism. Compatibilism states that decisions and actions may be determined by one 's beliefs and desires (Litch 129). Going back to the scene, it was Marty’s desire to talk to his father…

For Empedocles, the origin of organisms is an act brought on by chance, which can be defined as a “coincidental cause” (Physics 54). For Empedocles, it is important to note the importance of love and strife and the role these two elements play in the chance process. Before the origin of organisms, love out-ruled strife and there was a continuous harmony in the universe. However, Empedocles suggests that the spirits of the universe had become corrupt and strife’s power began to increase and…

Looking at number 2, would one consider it to be true? That God would not allow any type of evil to exist? God has given humans free will, and thus humans are highly likely to engage in acts of evil. If God completely prevented evil from this universe, then humans would have some part of their free will stripped away. This would be unacceptable to that God and thus would be the reason on why God allows evil to exist. Now comes the question, what is considered evil…

Swinburne offers a free will theodicy. Before explaining his theodicy it is important to note the two types of evil. Natural evil, which is caused by disease, unforeseeable accidents, and natural disasters. Then there is moral evil, caused by humans intentionally doing actions they should not be, or evil caused out of negligence. God offers free will, humans have the power of make significant choices between good and evil. Free will needs to be there in order for deeper goods…

meaningless. The two possibilities are: (i) human character determines free action; or (ii) human character does not determine free action. So, either (i) our character determines what we are going to do—in which case our actions express our character and it is a reflection of who we are—or (ii) our character does not determine what we are going to do, and our actions are random. Theists argue that since (i) human character determines free action, freedom is meaningful. Freedom allows human…

In the free will vs. determinism debate, hard determinism seems to be a dominant belief. Hard determinism is the belief that free will and determinism are incompatible ideas, and that it is not possible to truly believe in both without being logically inconsistent. Under hard determinism, there is a view called hard incompatibilism which Smilansky subscribes to. Hard incompatibilism is the belief that determinism is incompatible with both human freedom and moral responsibility. Saul Smilansky…

Augustine of Hippo and Pico della Mirandola hold opposing positions on what they believe the human potential is. Augustine believes a human beings potential is predestined, at God's will, because of original sin. Whereas Pico believes the human potential is unlimited, because God created us to be “Sovereign craftsman” because he the “Greatest craftsman” had nothing new he could give to us (pp. 117). Augustine and Pico although they do not agree on the issue of a person's potential, do…

Freedom of expression is defined as 'The power or right to express one's opinions without censorship, restraint, or legal penalty.' (oxforddictionaries). And the question is, should this be restricted? Should some peoples ideas or opinions be constrained, suppressed or limited? According to John Stuart Mill the answer is no.' He argues that Freedom is conducive to the greatest happiness.That freedom of thought and expression is a mean to social progress' (Garner, R,.Fredinard,…

A man’s life is a journey that has been pre-destined by the gods. There is always a human will towards a desire, but in the end destiny plays its own course, and makes sure that the will leads the way to the fate. No matter how much the man wants to assert his own will, in the end a man is powerless against his fate. As per the ancient Greek theatre, Sophocles play’s normally have emphasis on individual characters, the role of chorus has always been reduced, there are complex characters who are…

While the ultimate goals of Tamburlaine’s enemies are doomed to failure, in the same way Tamburlaine’s goal is unreachable. This truth leads to another of the themes treated in the play - natural order. Natural order is challenged when the shepherd Tamburlaine declares that he wants to become a god. He says that in Scene 2 of Act I: “Jove sometimes masked in a shepherd’s weed, And by those steps that he hath scaled the heavens, May we become immortal like the gods.” (p.13) His hopes are in vain…