Mrs young-Free will and determinism

Oh god i hope these post (they won't)

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What is metaphysical freedom?
Free will-we make our own choices and have control over our actions
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What is Determinism?
The view that somehow the future is determined, our future is unavoidable and we have no free will.
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What is logical Determinism/Fatalism?
A deterministic theory that says "A or not-A will occur" for example, either I will die of heart failure or I won't. If I am not bound to die this way eating cake won't hurt me. If I am bound to die this way, then I should enjoy cake while I live.
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What is the term used for fatalist logic?
The law of excluded middle-either A or not-A.
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What is a critique of Fatalism regarding statements about the future?
It can be said that future statements are neither true nor false, because they're yet to happen. The fatalist therefore can't say "A or not-A will occur" because one shouldn't refer to future statements as true or false.
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What is the possible amendment fatalists could make to their logic in response?
They could always say "In the future it will turn out that either A or not-A will occur" but it means the whole "So I'll eat cake" logic is less persuasive because the words "It will turn out" imply that current actions will affect the outcome.
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Another critique regarding necessity?
A or not-A will happen, but neither will happen with necessity. "I will choke or I will not choke" one will necessarily happen, but either can occur without logical contradiction. And so, one will necessarily happen but my actions determine which.
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give an analogy for the critique above-namely one concerning an idiot named Nadia.
Nadia counts all the steps she will most likely take in a school year. she starts running up and down the stairs to reduce the number she'll have to walk later.
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Explain what Nadia has done wrong. Aside from being a complete idiot.
While it it necessarily true that there will be a specific set of steps trodden, this doesn't mean a specific number is necessarily true. It is dependent on her actions.
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Give an example where fatalism might actually work.
In regards to the movements of the planets or far off events. they will happen whether you like it or not.
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What is religious predestination?
The belief that God (or a deity) has a plan in store and will bring about certain events in people's lives regardless of their actions.
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What problem does this theory bring about?
Free will- If God knows our future then how are we free? If God knows what we will choose and doesn't stop us, we have no freedom.
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What view can we take to make it so that we have free will, but a deity knows of our future?
The deity is outside of time, viewing the whole of human existence and seeing what we chose of our own free will. He has looked at the result of our free will from a future vantage point.
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What is another problem caused by predestination?
The deity's free will. If predestination is true and a supernatural being has decided on our futures and events, then what is to be said of their own futures? a God must act in an all good manner, so are his actions determined by this?
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What is physical determinism?
The idea that all events in the universe are caused by the immediately preceding events.
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What type of principal is it?
an epistemic principle.
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What is Laplace's Demon?
the idea that a vast intellect, given the precise details of the universe at any given state, would be able to work out precisely what would happen next, and what had happened prior.
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What is the typical argument for physical determinism?
1. We can predict many events,2.this suggests there is an underlying mechanism, a "necessary cause" which makes these events occur 3. therefore all events in the universe are caused by preceding events.
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What type of reasoning is physical determinism?
Inductive reasoning. the truth of the premises do not guarantee the truth of the conclusion. However many of these types of argument remain persuasive.
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What is Economic determinism?
The idea that you financial placement and social class determine your life's actions.
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Who was a strong supporter of this theory?
Karl Marx
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what was his belief?
The economic state we are born into determines how(and if) we establish our idea of God, our entire belief system. this determines our choices. Every statement, idea, belief and philosophy begins with material reality- how we make our bread.
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Famous quote?
"First to live, then to philosophise"
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Why did he despise religion?
At the time society was suspended in a capitalist regime-the workers were abused, the bourgeoisie were doing very well-religion "the opiate of the masses" was stopping the needed revolution.
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What is hard determinism?
The view that we have absolutely no free will, and that everything is just a collection of atoms determined by the laws of nature.
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What problem does this present-along with the other deterministic theories?
Morality and ethics- how can we punish criminals if they're not responsible for their actions?
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Who was B.J Skinner and what did he believe?
We are determined by (and are easilly) environmental conditionings/enforcements. a behaviourist.
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What were his reinforcements and punishments?
positive reinforcement-getting a reward-Negative reinforcement-taking something bad away-positive punishment-creating a bad feeling or situation-negative punishment-taking something good away.
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There are four ways in which the hard determinist could defend the idea that we are all determined, and the fact that it appears we have free will. explain one
The existence of choices does not necessarily indicate free will- It would appear that a computer has choices when playing chess, but it really only has a set number of moves.
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Name a second
Just because nobody actively forces you to do something, it still doesn't mean you're free. each stage of a decision making process is determined by the previous one. and so there is no free will.
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Name a third (if you can. if you can already name two then that's all right. It's okay. Cry. nobody's watching. except me.)
Hume suggests that we do not experience a hand moving a snooker ball as the queue hits it, or any indication of necessary causation. the absence of the feeling of a guiding hand or force making us chose doesn't matter.
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a fourth?
The illusion of free will can be born from both our limited access to brain processes and the complexity of the decision making process.
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What is dualism?
The belief that the universe is made of two distinct kinds of substances.
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What was Cartesian Dualism?
idea that the mind and body are different substances-the exist in different realms yet act together.
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What did he believe about the body?
The body including the brain are physical extended (occupies space) and unthinking.
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And about the soul?
The soul Is un-extended and thinking.
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so, where are they both?
The mind is in a different realm-it occupies no space. our brain is in the physical world.
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How do they communicate?
The brain collects information, like "pain" and sends it to the mind. The mind then looks at it and decides to make the body move away from the pain, and so it sends a message back to the body telling it to do so.
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Are we determined then?
Our mind is not-it is not in the physical world and so the laws of nature do not affect it. The body is however, meaning our free choices determine what will happen to it.
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What is a critique of dualism?
How do the brain and mind interact if they're in separate realms? it is unspecified where they come into contact.
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another?
Third law of thermodynamics-in a closed system, energy can't be created or destroyed-same goes for universe. It is what helps physical determinists determine what happens. however...
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Continue...
If the human minds are interacting with the brain they will require energy, which means as they go back and forth the energy level in the universe will go up and down. This both denies physics and, as physics is what determines our bodies...
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continue...
The determinism side of Descartes theory fails because the free will side leads to gaps in the causal chain.
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What is existentialism?
Also known as Phenomenology, they focus on describing what it is to be human and have many concerns regarding free will and human experience.
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explain Satre's necessary conditions for free will, and so will I over the following cards
All physical objects have an essence (shape, weight, size) and that determines how it behaves (whether is smashes when dropped) it has no free will- Its essence determines how it will always react.
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Humans, However do not have such an essence-our existence precedes our essence
if it did not and we had one, we would be determined like physical objects. the fact that we have no essence gives us free will.
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In regards to our free will, Satre believes that we always have a choice, even in situations where you think there is none. Like deciding to care for a sick pet instead of working-it is still free choice but morality makes you believe you have none.
even physical things like stopping exercise due to pain is a choice. you could chose to keep doing it and risk severe injury, but you choose not to.
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What is Satre the opposite of?
Marx-"first to live, then to philosophise" Satre "Man is nothing else but the sum of his actions." meaning that the cumulation of our actions in life determine what we are. we have no essence.
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What are the three criteria for free will?
(A/ it was in my power to act in any number of different ways. B/ I was able to reason over the decision and exercise control over my desires. C/I was able to act according to my decision without hindrance or coercion
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What is soft determinism/compatibilism?
The idea that free will and determinism are compatible. only C is important.while accepting that behaviour is determined by genetics and environment, we are still free if we can decide to do or not do something. the Liberty of spontaneity
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What did Hume say was real free will?
"doing what I desire" we are constantly faced with choices, and we must make them. real freedom is making a desired choice.
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How much does Causation have to do with our determinism according to Hume?
A lot. Our minds always think that B will follow A due to Constant conjunction-We've always seen B following A. Hume- Causes do not compel effects; they’re just descriptions for the uniformity and regularity in experience.
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How does Causation affect our brain activity according to Hume?
Our brain sees regular patterns, such as B following A. But this is not necessary. Our brains working in this way is contingent, meaning that it is possible for us to comprehend the lack of link between cause and effect.
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What does this mean for us?
This theory can reduce the potency of determinism in our lives, the iron grooves of behaviour. The grooves can change, as they are contingent, and alternative grooves are at least hypothetically possible. Our behaviour is not necessary.
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Why does our brain do this?
Because if they did not assume Cause and effect we couldn't function. society would fall apart.
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So, in essence, what is Hume saying? Bear in mind, on the next slide I've given my own interpretation. It is probably wrong, so use your own judgement
The idea that two or more events have a constant conjunction is environmentally conditioned into us-due to society and experience. However, Cause and effect do not actually exist. it continues on the next one...
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We act like cause and effect exists (like getting into habits and being unable to break them because of how long we've been doing them for) because it has made "grooves in our brain" but we do not have to think this way.
Upon becoming self aware of the induction fallacy we can free ourselves from the mental state, and break the causal chain that it created. That's how I understand it. I'm probably wrong. moving on...
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So that's how we're determined (environmentally and mentally) so how are we free?
free will comes from being able to carry out desires without restraint or interference or restraint from external factors.
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How does our free will and determinism work together?
Freedom requires Determinism. Desires aren’t random; they flow from personalities which are our own. Personality comes from the causal condition that created us. Freedom expresses this character. If desire causes my action, I’m Free.
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give an example of desires affecting freedom.
If I join a club because I want to it is free will. If I am forced it is coercion, which is non-freedom, which in the eyes of combatabilist means-not doing what I desire because of restraint or coercive threats.
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What is free will in Hume's opinion?
Freedom is doing the following without interference: 1. Thinking what want 2. Saying what I want 3. Doing what I want 4. Meeting who I want 5. Going where I want.
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What did Kant believe about free will?
He believed in reasons and causes-There is a difference between the reason for an action and the cause of an action.
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How is this different from the Determinist’s view-
they believe that the reason and the cause are the same thing; the cause is the reason and the cause is necessary, physical and prior to the effect.
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What is one difference between reasons and causes?
1/ reasons often involve moral justification and so explain something in context-e.gI stabbed him because he was going to kill me.
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A second?
2/the more an event is described in terms of biological and immediate response the more likely we are to speak of cause rather than reason. I fall because you hit the pressure point.
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A third?
3/reasons suggest a variety of options, not just a biological reflex, and relate to the future as well as the past, Causes, by definition, refer to something past. B was caused by A, not by C.
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A fourth?
4/reasons are open to moral debate; there is a good reason-for re-introducing death penalty
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Name a similarity.
1/ causes look backwards, but so can reasons.
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A second?
2. Causes can look to the future: punished for not working because of parent's future aspirations for you
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A third?
3/ libertarian- reasons are mental events and causes are physical- but causes can be mental too.
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Give an example of the difference between reasons and causes.
The reason I kidnapped the goat was because it was pregnant and wasn’t being cared for. Being hit in the shins with a crowbar caused me to collapse .
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I don't know really where morality as overcoming self interest comes in here, so I will ask. By all means let me know if there is anything wrong here or anything that needs clearing up. These are all as I understand them, so don't trust them 100%
If these finally ******* make it up i swear I will be so ******* happy oh my God this has taken me ******* hours i swear If these don't post i am going to swallow a shoe.
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Card 2

Front

What is Determinism?

Back

The view that somehow the future is determined, our future is unavoidable and we have no free will.

Card 3

Front

What is logical Determinism/Fatalism?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What is the term used for fatalist logic?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What is a critique of Fatalism regarding statements about the future?

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Preview of the front of card 5
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