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Soft Determinism - PHIL100 Practice materials.

PHIL100 Practice materials.
Course

Appreciation of Philosophy (PHIL 100)

29 Documents
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Academic year: 2023/2024
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S o f t D e te r m i n i s m

2 Parts of Soft Determinism

F re e W i l l i s N o t...

N e g a t i ve Ac c o u n t

Po s i t i ve Ac c o u n t

Look at the linguistic context

Negative account

Positive Account

Metaphysical freedom (freedom to choose to do otherwise)

Indeterminism

This implies uncaused events or at least uncaused persons

Soft determinism IS determinism (although you can make actions

performed on your own thoughts and desires but it is still determined,

what internal psychological state you have is pre-determined, thus soft

determinism is determined)

Stace: No problem of free will if/when free will is properly defined

If a concept is defined incorrectly, then this will likely effect our

metaphysical judgements about it

EX:

Purposeful life as God-given purpose

Morally valuable being as homo sapiens

Usage - meaning

How is the concept of free or free will commonly used in everyday

language?

Which is a proper use of free?

Free Acts: fasting to persuade government, leaving the office to eat

Unfree acts: starving due to malnourishment, being dragged out

Free: immediate cause is one's own mental state

F re e W i l l I S...

A rg u m e n t fo r C o m p a t i b i l i t y o f F re e W i l l a n d D e te r m i n i s m

T h e " S o f t " Pa r t

Fasting to persuade government

Leaving school to get lunch

Telling truth out of moral conviction

Unfree: immediate caused is external to one's own mind

Starving due to malnourishment

^^BOTH ARE CAUSALLY DETERMINED

Circumstantial Freedom

Ability to perform a voluntary act

The circumstances are not preventing you from doing what you

want to do

Freedom from external causes in the immediate moment...

100 % deterministic

Free DOES NOT EQUAL uncaused

Free DOES EQUAL uncoerced

1. All events are the inevitable results of prior events

2. Human choices and actions are events

3. Hence, human choices and actions are determined

4. Hence metaphysical freedom does not exists

5. Free will is circumstantial freedom

6. Circumstantial freedom requires /is consistent with determinism

7. Hence human choices are both determined and free

8. Since human choices can be free, moral responsibility still exists

9. Thus, humans can be morally responsible for their choices and actions

Free will - moral responsibility

Internal cause = in control

In control = morally responsible

Moral responsibility requires determinism

Pointless to praise/punish uncaused actions

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Soft Determinism - PHIL100 Practice materials.

Course: Appreciation of Philosophy (PHIL 100)

29 Documents
Students shared 29 documents in this course
Was this document helpful?
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