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Difference between revisions of "Determinism"
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==== Answering (2) ==== | ==== Answering (2) ==== | ||
Conceivably, determinism could be true, but we could still have free will. Philosophers who believe in this view are called ''soft determinists'', or ''compatibalists.'' | Conceivably, determinism could be true, but we could still have free will. Philosophers who believe in this view are called ''soft determinists'', or ''compatibalists.'' | ||
Partially, the notion of having freedom depends on how we define the concept of freedom. You might argue that although determinism means all actions have been predetermined, in the spur-of-the-moment, we are still able to make a decision on what we want to do. It might be true that this action was already predetermined, but you still effectively chose it. Imagine that you are watching a movie, and you paused it. If you take the characters to be real, they are still exercising freedom to make their choices, even if you could theoretically fast forward and see what happens later. | |||
You can read more about compatibilism [https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/compatibilism/ here]. | |||
==== Answering (3) ==== | ==== Answering (3) ==== | ||
Here, you would argue that we might lack free will, but we are still morally responsible for our actions. To make such an argument, you would have to argue for some criterion which lays out what it means to be morally responsible for one's action. In debate, people typically assert that one is morally responsible for their action if and only if they had the freedom to take that action. However, by providing some alternative criterion, you could argue that people are still morally responsible. | |||
P.F. Strawson argues that we determine moral responsibility based on ''reactive attitudes''. That is, we deem somebody morally responsible for the action that they take based on the reaction that we have to that action. Even if determinism is true, we would still have the same reactive attitudes when somebody does wrong, which would mean that they are still culpable for the actions that they take. | |||
See more [https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-responsibility/ here]. | |||
=== Contesting the Role of the Ballot === | === Contesting the Role of the Ballot === | ||