Essays on Hard Determinism

Exposition of competing positions:

Hard determinism argues that due to the fact that determinism is true, and there can be no choices that result in any specific outcome for the individual, there is no need to engage in moral discourse. The idea that all things are the result of abstract causes that cannot be effected in any way presents the idea that there is no need to assess the consequences of action. This is due to the fact that a person’s nature is primarily determined by their ultimate destiny. The principle of free will does not exist therefore, due to the fact ...

Free Will and Determinism: A Response to the Problem from the Perspective of Three Philosophical Positions

The concept of free will has been essential in religion and philosophy, but this concept has been opposed to a new one, namely determinism, which is the result of years of scientific progress and the discovery of natural laws. Free will represents the capacity to act independently, or to take decisions based on personal wish, regardless of the pressures one is subject to. On the other hand, determinism is based on the idea that all actions performed by human beings are determined by natural laws and different causal factors, and in fact there is no free will. This idea ...

The notion "freedom" has many meanings, each of which applies to a particular sphere of life of the individual. Solving the problem of freedom is impossible without an understanding of the specifics of these values, and without disclosing the inner relationship of liberties. Most of all, to speak of freedom, it is possible to speak about two of its basic values. Speaking about free will, there is a possibility not to hesitate to define their internal desires, aspirations, and the second value is freedom of action, that is, the absence of obstacles to the implementation of the desired action. ...

Assignment Title

Free Will and Determinism Are human actions and behavior predetermined or are they self-caused by will? The debate about to what extent humans are free in making decisions and proceeding with their lives was one of the central problems of philosophy since its emergence. Many bright minds pondered on this problem offering different decisions to it. But what is the whole debate about? It would not be so important and acute if the problem stood by itself. However, the consequences of the decision to this issue strongly influence other questions and fields of philosophy. Particularly, the strongest implications are ...

Psychology

Introduction The context of hard determinism is very straightforward. It was coined in such term because it implies a strict position about issues and matters that are universal in nature. In addition, hard determinism does not accord with moral responsibility considering that moral dispositions are incompatible with determinism. In this discussion, an argumentative position will be asserted in favor of hard determinism.

Arguments on Hard Determinism

In the case of hard determinism, it is real and it implies that there is no free will. This position encompasses a question of whether people have a free will or everything happen for a reason. For ...

Two stories from the crime pages in Florida make the mind roil in terms of their ethical consideration, but they also raise some interesting questions about the role that fate and free will combine to play in our lives. The first is the story of Casey Anthony. Even though a jury acquitted her of the charge of murder, the preponderance of the evidence, at least to many, indicated that she more than likely used duct tape to suffocate her daughter and then dumped the body somewhere where it took a repairman weeks to find it. The second is the ...