Free will and moral repsonsibiltiy

Moral responsibility

• to have moral responsibility for actions- we must be acting out of our own free will

• it is only voluntary actions for which we can be praised or blamed

• must understand diffence between right and wrong so in theory:

• children who have not yet learned

• those with severe learning difficultes or mental illness

• those who have temporarily forgotten due to drugs and alcohol

• thos who have permanently forgotten due to dementia

hard determinism

• based on univeral causation- everything in universe has a cause and is an effect of that cause

• nothing is random or free, everything that happens is a product of previous circumstances and decisions

• Spinoza argues our apparent freedom is an illusion “it is dreaming with our eyes open”

• it means that we are ignorant of the causes acting upon us

Psychological behaviourism

• our behaviour is conditioned by our upbringing and experiences - behaviour is learned repsonses

• Skinner: we can condition behaviour to change through positive reinforcement

• watson: we change it through fear

• all human behaviour is a conditioned response

Theological determinism

• God is omniscient+ omnipotent, therefore he knows and controls the past present and the future

• Therefore he can predestine humans to heaven or hell (calvin- he did this at the beginning of the time)

• God’s omnscience is understood as caustative

• humans do not free will as God has already decided our eschatological destination

How does Aquinas criticise theological determinism

• god’s foreknowledge is not causative

• he is transcdent- he exists outside of space and time and can observe the past present and future

• he simply knows what is going to happen rather than causes it

Weaknesses: Hard determinism

• means we have no freedom and so no moral responsibility - however it could be argued that moral responsibility is part of God’s plan

• Theological determinisn suggests an unfair God who punishes people for things they have not freely chosen

Strengths: hard determinsim

• theological determinsm has scriptural basis- therefore authority

• psychological behaviourism gives hope for change (people dont have be caused for the eterity of their lives)

• hard determinidm is backed up science- everything can be traced back to big bang

Libeterianism

• while the external world may be determined, humans are free moral agents

• many are mind-body dualists- believe mind is a seperate substance is therefore free to act in the physical world

• while there are physical, psychological and social limitations but these are necessary, otherwise we would experience the paralysis of complete freedom

• we can be influenced by external factors but these are not necessarily determinant

• we are still free to choose otherwise

Criticisms of libertarians

• free will is an illusion, just because we feel free doesnt mean we are

• science suggests universe is deterministic

• libeterians are simply determined/caused to think this way because of their previosu experiences

Strengths of libetarianism

• if free will is an illusion- it is a very persistent one- everyone is having it

• it means our actions matter

Compatibalism

• Compatibilism takes the view that determinism is compatible with freedom.

• dispute between hard determinists and libertarians arises out of confusing terminology- Compelled is not synonymous with ‘caused’ and ‘free’ is not synonymous with uncaused.

• we are free when we act according to our desires.

• These desires are not random, they flow from our personalities.

• Our personalities are a sum of the total conditions that have created us e.g. our upbringing and our environment.

• all actions are free choices that require determinsm other order of life would be lost

Compatibalism: liberty of spontaneity

• They distinguish between two types of causation, internal (our personalities) and external (factors beyond our control that determine what we do)

• there is no escaping causual necessity but we have liberty of sponteneity- we can choose to act or not act as we wish

• e.g. in running late for work, you may choose to rush or stay at same pace

• choice depends on your personality

• however you can loose liberty of sponeity to an external cause

Strengths of compatibalism

• gives meaning to our actions+

• makes us morally responsible unless there is an external factor forcing us to not act as we wish (fairer approach)

• solves problems between HD and libeterianism

Weaknesses of compatibalism

• not a clear idea of everything that directs our decisons-

• dimishes our responsibilty to a certain extent