Determinism Vs Free Will

Whenever you want during this dangerous occasion Orwell could have created the decision to do as opposed to

This brings into question the severity and extent to which Robert Harris should be held accountable for his actions. There are two different ends of the morality spectrum through which Harris can be found guilty: moral responsibility and criminal responsibility. This is where the different theories on moral responsibility truly come into play. While none of these philosophical arguments would hold up in court, it does make the decisions made by Robert Harris seem much more complicated than it first appeared. The criminal justice system is based on a libertarian train of thought. The system makes the assumption that we do possess free will, but also, in some circumstances, we do not. When it comes to Robert Harris, the formula for liability

Both hard and soft determinists believe that all actions are determined; however, soft determinists believe in responsibility, which is the result of freedom. Hard determinists advocate the idea of predetermined or predestined actions with no free will. On the other hand, soft determinists or compatibilist contend that there is a blend of determinism and free will. As a hard determinist, Baron d’Holbach believed that independent forces create desires that dictate an individual’s behavior. In contrast, Joseph Campbell explained that individuals have either have an ‘all-in ability’ and/or general ability. The general ability refers to physically being able to do something, such as walking or running while the ‘all-in ability’ involves the ability

ideas on what is necessary for an individual to be responsible for their actions. She argues that

The incompatibility thesis states that determinism is incompatible with any significant sense of freewill. Therefore, having free will is a necessary condition for the ascription of moral responsibility. In other words, free will dictates the level of responsibility we claim for our actions. If outside forces were to be in control of the choices we make, then we cannot be held responsible for our actions. However, if we have total freedom over the choices we make, then we certainly must claim responsibility over our actions. In Paul Holbach’s essay, “The Illusion of Freewill”, Holbach presents the argument that free will is simply an illusion that the human mind has created for us. He makes the assertion that

In "Human Freedom and the Self", Roderick Chisholm has taken a libertarian approach on the issue of free will and determinism. Libertarians believe that humans have free will and make a distinction that free will and determinism are incompatible. Chisholm has the same opinion. On the problem of human freedom, Chisholm thinks that “Human beings are responsible agents; but this fact appears to conflict with a deterministic view of human action (the view that every event that is involved in an act is caused by some other event); and it also appears to conflict with an indeterministic view of human action (the view that the act, or some event that is essential to the act, is not caused at all).”(Page 3). He does not agree that determinism or indeterminism

Galen Strawson argues in his work, The Impossibility of Moral Responsibility, the theory that true moral responsibility is impossible. This theory is accurate whether determinism is true or false. Strawson describes this argument as the Basic Argument. He claims "nothing can be causa sui- nothing can be the cause of itself" (212). Yet, one must be causa sui to achieve true moral responsibility. Hence, nothing is able to truly be morally responsible.

They say free will is compatible with determinism. Immanuel Kant is one of those compatibilistic philosophers. He thought that neither determinism and free will are not real, but they “are a priori folders in our head to help us make sense of world” (lecture 13). In his opinion, people have both physical beings and conscious beings; the physical beings are determined and the conscious beings are free. People must have free will so they can maintain morality. “The notion of free will is indispensable to our choosing, deciding, and judging...This is the case with our apprehension of the ‘moral law’...Before any act I should ask myself: Would I approve if all men do this? Any action that can be universalized can be accepted as ethical” (p247 text). Without free will, people will lose the capacity to abide by “moral

Determinism is a theory that all things in the world is governed by laws. This theory is based upon the materialist view of the body and mind. Materialists think that all things that exist in this world matter. We, humans, have mind or souls and desired interests are based upon actions. This principal argues that we have no moral responsibilities and choices. Actions are made by causes. We cannot predict everything in the future and with that said, human actions are made by laws.

“Life begins at conception. Therefore, an un-born baby has a right to life. This court ruling is a slap in the face of humanity” (Gordon, Tacoma,

“Determinism is the philosophical idea that every event or state of affairs, including every human decision and action, is the inevitable and necessary consequence of antecedent states of affairs”(Information Philosopher, 2015). It refers to the claim that, at any moment or place in time, there is only one possible future for the whole universe. However, the concept of determinism often comes into question when looking into whether human beings possess free will. Free Will can be defined as “the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one's own discretion” (Defence of Reason, 2014). The very definition of the terms determinism and free will appear to be conflicting however, many philosophical thinkers

In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he outlines the different scenarios in which one is responsible for her actions.  There is, however, a possible objection which raises the possibility that nobody is responsible for their actions.  Are we responsible for some of our actions after all?  If so, under what circumstances?  Based on an evaluation of Aristotle’s arguments and the objection that stands against it, people are responsible for voluntary actions and involuntary actions whose circumstances or particulars they themselves have caused.

My goal in this paper is to show that Swinburne’s solution to the Problem of Evil is persuasive. I begin with a formulation of Swinburne’s thoughts about the similarity and difference between moral evil and natural evil. I then formulate the connection between evil and free will. Next, I consider the potentiality objection to this argument, and Swinburne’s response to this objection. Finally, I argue Swinburne’s solution to the Problem of Evil is persuasive.

In order to be truly morally responsible for one 's actions one would have to be the cuase of itself,at least in certain crucial mental respects.

According to John Locke, it is not the Will of a human being that makes him or her free. The Will is simply a faculty of freedom, insofar as a person who expresses Free Will is simply acting freely in accordance with his or her desires. For Locke, It is the person who is free; he proclaims that “free will” is a misleading phrase, whereby “freedom” and the human “will” are two separate categories which must be clearly defined in order to be properly accounted for. A Person who is free may do what he or she wills.