Determinism & Free Will
Types of Determinism
►Religious
►Scientific
►Social-Cultural
Religious Determinism
►God determines the course of events
►John Calvin
Predestination
►God has already decided who will receive salvation. Individuals can just hope they have been chosen.
Scientific Determinism
► Physical Determinism
Universe is governed by mechanical laws
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
►Gravity/apple
►Biological & Genetic Determinism
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) argued that species evolve through selection or survival of the fittest.
Modern genetics—a person is destined to have a certain makeup or get a certain disease
Social/Cultural Determinism
►Historical or Cultural Determinism
Humans cannot control the culture or period of history into which they are born
Hegel (1770-1831)
►World history is manifestation of “absolute mind” realizing itself
► Economic or Social Determinism
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
►People are limited by class. The evolutionary economic class struggle will eventually lead to socialism, which is classless
Social-Cultural Determinism
►Psychological Determinism
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
►Humans are determined by unconscious drives that cultures distort or repress
►Behaviorism
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
►Human behavior is governed by conditioning and environment, both physical and social
Types of Determinism
►Fatalism
All events are fixed and predetermined
The future is always beyond our control
Whatever will be, will be
►Hard Determinism
Everything has an external cause
No free will
Types of Determinism
►Soft Determinism
Everything is caused, but some events are caused by humans’ free will
Freedom is limited
Indeterminism
►Some things are caused
►Certain amount of chance and freedom
►William James (1842-1910)
Free Will
►Free will is not as neatly packaged as determinism, but, essentially, philosophers in this camp believe that the individual’s choices determine his or her life.
►Some believe in a Judeo-Christian God, but many do not, but all acknowledge the burden of choice.
Soren Kierkegaard
Truth is yours alone on the path you choose
Purpose in life is to find your own personal truth
Three stages
►Aesthetic Stage—sensuous enjoyment
Good in childhood; becomes hedonistic paradox in adults
►Ethical Stage
Following conventions and laws makes a person good
►Religious Stage—Leap of faith
Leave standards of society behind and trust God
Jean-Paul Sartre ►Modern Existentialism
There is no god, no absolute moral rules or values
Individuals become the source of values
Complete free will
►Quotes
“Man is nothing but what he makes of himself.”
“We are alone, with no excuses.”
“Existentialism’s first move is to make every man aware of what he is and to make the full responsibility of his existence rest on him.”
