Genetic determinism

In this paper, I will investigate Harry Frankfurt’s arguments and discuss his concepts concerning freewill and determinism as presented in "Freedom of Will and the Concept of Person". Frankfurt presents as well as makes justifiable assertions on several of his arguments, however a few of his reasoning seem to be problematic. I will argue that his arguments are not cogent and are shown to be contradictory. Additionally, I will demonstrate that we are not caused to have freewill or to be free as…

In this article, W.T Stace defends the view of compatibilism, which is also known as “soft determinism.” He argues that every event in one’s life is inevitable and is the result of past affairs, which also leads him to the belief that free will is indeed consistent with determinism. Near the end of the article he also explores the notion of moral responsibility and it’s compatibility with free will. Stace begins by briefly outlining the significance of free will because if someone has no control…

What does freedom mean to me. What do you think of when you hear the word freedom, do you just think that means that you're free to do what you want? That is wrong, freedom is the right to act, speak, or think what you want without hindrance or restraint. What if you couldn't Think, Say or do what you want like most other countries? We are lucky enough to be able to think, say or do what we want. So I am going to tell you What freedom means to me. In the USA you can think anything you want,…

History can be viewed as an utterance of one very long sentence. There is a famous philosophical argument concerning our history and our future; the argument states that if determinism is true, and the past and the laws of the universe determine the future, then individuals do not hold sway over what is to come. In the simpler words of Leucippus, "Nothing occurs at random, but everything for a reason and by necessity".There are two kinds of actions; those that depend on free will and those that…

In general, freedom of action is a fundamental condition to do what a person wants to do, so people often consider it is necessary or important for free will. However, according to Harry Frankfurt’s definition of free will, that idea is wrong, and freedom of action is neither necessary nor sufficient for free will. Why he consider it as neither necessary nor sufficient for free will? And why this claim is important in his argument? I will discuss those two questions in this paper. First, why he…

Do humans have free will? In this essay I am going to explore this philosophical contention. Firstly, I will present a personally preferred definition of fatalism. Secondly, I will summarise the argument by Theodore Schick; that fatalism is true in the world of the Matrix and explain why I think this is an unsuccessful argument. Finally, I intend to discuss why I think fatalism is false in our current world providing reasons for my answer. Fatalism is a philosophical principle that states all…

Fate, a human’s destiny in life, is a heavily debated concept that ranges from philosophy, to theology, and even to modern science; however, even in this range can be generalized in three simplified schools of thought. One may argue that every move in a person’s life is predestined in some divine way, proceeded by the concept of free will with divine consequences, and ending with the idea of complete free will without any exterior factors. In generalizing these categories of fate, some specific…

the question of free will, I would have to say I am a hard determinist. I once thought that we had a choice, but these choices were decided by our world. I had some understanding of this idea without searching out an answer to describe it as hard determinism. The universe has it's own natural processes that we understand through chemistry, physics, math, and other fields of study. These processes have a cause and effect relationship, so they influence our environment, which leads to determined…

On pages 311-320, causal arguments are introduced according to events, as what happened at a certain time, and what situation resulted because of an event. Causal arguments are determined very closely like cause and effect, an event is what we call the situation, and the event can also be both the cause and effect. The book informs on the types of causal arguments, the way to properly identify the parts, and what the form is. There are 3 types of causal conditions used to identify the event…

possibilities in which the future cannot be predicted or otherwise known until it happens. The fact that the theory of determinism cannot accurately predict what will happen in the future strongly supports James' stance that free will must exist. James' also purported that without free choice of possibilities there would be no rationale for approval or feelings of regret.…