Soft determinism

To know the arguments of soft determinism

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Free to do Determined / predetermined to do

Give an example or explanation. Are there any conclusions you come to?

Things in every day life

Is it so black and white?

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Or should there be a third column? A middle ground?

SOFT DETERMINISM Soft determinists believe that

both determinism and Free will are true.

They are called Compatiblists.

Only some actions are predetermined and therefore we are morally responsible for our actions.

An act is free unless compelled by another person.

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Application - Gandhi ‘Gandhi fasted to free India’ This would conform to what the libertarian

would class a free action, however at the same time there is a cause stated in that sentence.

Gandhi’s desires to free India caused him to fast. This desire could be a result of other causes such as his education, upbringing, the teaching of the Hindu faith and so on.

So it should be ‘ Gandhi fasted because he wanted to free India’

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Freedom is therefore hypothetical.

Hobbes

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others explain the dilemma more clearly than Hobbes.

If our past were different then so would our present.

Were our upbringing a little different an alternative choice could have been made.

HUME- used to back soft determinism up

Free actions are not uncaused.

Instead they are caused by our choices and our choices are determined by our beliefs, desires and personalities.

Our decisions are made as a part of a process that has a causal chain of events and are so determined.

The agent is part of that causal chain and as long as nobody stops us we have complete freedom.

Actions that come from the person are the only free acts but in terms of this quote;

“By liberty, then, we can only mean a power of acting or not acting, according to the determinations of the will; that is, if we choose to remain at rest we may; if we choose to move, we also may.”

DAVID HUME1711 –1776

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Lesson 10/10/12 as far as here

SELF RESTRAINT AND WILLPOWER

1. Desires and actions can be stopped by willpower and self restraint.

2. Some people are able to control their urges and limit their freedom.

3. Not all people are able to resist temptations

4. Self restraint may have a genetic disposition but it may be due to ethical or religious beliefs

5. The beliefs of the person may be strong enough to limit their own freedom. lesson 7

SELF RESTRAINT AND WILLPOWER

1. We generally want to act to stop desires.

2. We feel that the ability to stop our desires is what separates ourselves from animals.

3. How else do we stop our freedoms?

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LIVING IN SOCIETYSociety has a set of rules that are followed. 1.This is called a social contract. Can you think of rules that go into the social contract?

2.Limitations on freedoms are put in place to maximise the freedom of all people.

3.Order justice and civilisation come about by people agreeing to some basic rules of conduct.

4.What would society be like if there was no rules?

5.Do you have a choice over these rules?

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LIVING IN SOCIETY

1. What would society be like if there was no rules?

2. Do you have a choice over these rules?

3. Nazis in 1930 organised a set of rules which marginalised a section of society. Their social contract severely limited the freedom of a group of individuals.

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CONFLICT OF FREE WILLS

1. If we all are free to act then eventually some freedoms will conflict.

2. Individual freedom requires us to think about how conflict is handled.

Conclusion Freedoms are curtailed out of

social convention.These are not to be underestimated

as they may be strong enough to motivate a gay man to marry a woman for the sake of his family.

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Argument against liberty

SUMMARY

Moral responsibility may be mitigated by the degree to which we were free when we acted

Arguably environmental influences play a strong role in determining behaviour – perhaps we are not as free as we think!

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SOFT DETERMINISM Soft determinism says that causation is

still a fact. There is still a complete a sufficient

cause of your actions. There is no alternative future but there

could have been a different future had the past been different.

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SOFT DETERMINISM As well as creating an idea of

hypothetical freedom soft determinism demonstrates how the desires and mental state of the individual are a part of their sufficient reasoning behind decisions.

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Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths weaknesses

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CRITICISMSLIBERTARIANISM

Soft determinism does not realise the true extent of human freedom.

HARD DETERMINISM

Soft determinism does not realise the extent at which human actions are determined.

It is a “quagmire of evasion,” William James

or a “wretched subterfuge” Kant.

DAVID HUME1711 –1776

Thomas Hobbes

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Human Condition

Using your human condition sheet and what Hobbes says and add your ideas to the human condition sheet for soft determinism.

Also see if there is anything you can add to your libertarian side from the essay.

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