4C - The Implications of Predestination / Determinism

What are the two implications that the spec requires you to analyse?

What are the two implications that the spec requires you to analyse?

‣ The implications of determinism on moral responsibility
‣ The implications of predestination on religious belief

[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What is the worth of human ideas on rightness, wrongness, and moral value?

‣ If hard determinism holds that people have absolutely no free will, the only conclusion = that people have no control over their moral attitudes
- ∴ human ideas of rightness, wrongness, moral value = no worth ∴ meaningless

[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What did Spinoza argue about moral choices?

‣ "there is no absolute or free will"

‣ A person's moral choices = the inevitable result of a chain of infinite regress

‣ We can be free by understanding + accepting that we = part of a bigger whole

[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What did Hospers argue about moral choices?

‣ Moral values = always worthless ∵ there is always a cause that compels us to do what we do

‣ A moral choice = luck

[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What is the validity of blaming people for immoral acts?

‣ Would seem unfair to punish people for committing immoral acts if it is beyond a person's control

‣ As they had no choice, it would be as nonsensical to blame them as it would to blame a train for going along the fixed rails in front of it

[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] Explain how the 1924 Bobby Franks murder case possibly supports the idea of determinism.

‣ Leopold and Leob were affluent, and were charged with murder of a boy who was much less affluent

‣ The defence lawyer, Clarence Darrow, claimed that they had been predetermined to have a superiority complex over poorer people ∴ could not be blamed for what they were always going to be + do

‣ The deterministic argument may have been successful ∵ they were sentenced to life + 99 years, rather than the death penalty

[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What did the defence lawyer for the infamous 1993 murder case of James Bulger argue?

‣ That Thompson and Venables had been predetermined to carry out the murder ∵ they played violent video games from a young age

[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What is the MAOA gene?

‣ Also known as the 'warrior gene'
‣ Can lead to aggressive behaviour

[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What is the usefulness of normative ethics?

‣ The aim of normative ethics is to act as a moral guide, but, if actions = predetermined, normative ethics = redundant - illustrated by two contrasting normative ethics:

‣ Divine Command Theory (religious)
- Morally good/bad based on will of God
- Exodus 20 = Decalogue: e.g. 'Do not murder' ∴ humanity knows that murder = wrong ∵ God has commanded it
- DCT = of no use if humans do not possess sufficient free will to choose to follow those commands

‣ Act utilitarianism (non-religious)
- The 'principle of utility' presupposes that humans have the free will to select the course of action that maximises pleasure by bringing most happiness
- If they do not have the free will, act utilitarianism = meaningless

[Soft Determinism, Moral responsibility] What are the implications of soft determinism on moral responsibility?

‣ It still accepts that a person's will is caused totally by determining factors ∴ the conclusions for hard determinism apply:
1) Human ideas of rightness, wrongness, and moral value = meaningless
2) Blaming people for immoral acts = pointless
3) Normative ethics as a moral guide = of no use

‣ But, other soft determinism theories argue that a person's will is not completely predetermined
- Some determining factors can be overcome
- We can use our intellect to work out how our actions are being det.
- If recognised that they have been conditioned to be impatient, they can stop themselves
- ∴ 1) some meaning; 2) blamed for some actions 3) useful guides
- Problem: a line has to be drawn between that which is determined and open to choice
- The complexities of causality, genetic, behaviourism, make such a line difficult to follow

[Predestination, Religious belief] What are the implications for God's omnipotence?

‣ Predestination = strong illustration of God's omnipotence ∵ only an omnipotent deity could have, and execute, a predestined plan for all humanity

‣ Augustine reacted angrily to Pelagius' work ∵ seemed to diminish the omnipotent nature of God

‣ Augustine + Calvin argue that election ≠ based on good works

‣ Augustine did not see any contradiction between free will and God's foreknowledge

‣ Qur'an 76:30 - "But you cannot will, unless Allah wills"

[Predestination, Religious belief] How is God shown to be omnibenevolent?

‣ Augustine notes that God did not have to save some; could have left humanity to damnation - instead, sent his son for the elect to receive forgiveness

[Predestination, Religious belief] How is God shown to not be omnibenevolent?

‣ Punishing/rewarding on behaviour which only he had control over

‣ Russel: God must be "a monster" ∵ "A God that punishes or rewards on the basis of God's own eternal decisions is unfair and immoral"

‣ He predestined events such as the Holocaust

‣ Arminius wrote his free will theory ∵ felt the need to defend God's omnibenevolent nature against predestination so that "God might not be considered the author of all sin"

‣ Extreme limit: all details of people's lives = determined by God ∴ he must create all moral decisions

‣ No free will = all people are like automated robots carrying out God-given pre-programmed lives, without power to change anything

‣ Analogy: a young child may be careful or careless when playing with their teddy, but the teddy cannot choose not to be played with

‣ Augustine: human intellect = incapable of understanding

[Predestination, Religious belief] What is the use of prayer?

‣ Any attempt to pray for salvation = waste of time ∵ destiny = determined

‣ For the elect, prayer = integral ∵ God establishes a relationship with his people through repentance

‣ Calvin: elect can be sinful but God predestines them to have faith in the saving atonement of Jesus ∴ when elect sin, cannot resist calling to seek forgiveness, which may come through prayer

[Predestination, Religious belief] What are the implications for the existence of miracles?

‣ Does not directly imply that miracles cannot occur

‣ God may have predestined all miracles, illustrated by Aquinas' primary + secondary cause miracles
- Primary: God acts directly in the world to bring about a miracle that could have been predestined from the beginning of time
- Secondary: God uses his omnipotent nature to work a miracle through a human agent; could be predestined

‣ C. S. Lewis: God = interactive; continues to introduce new laws of nature; he does miracles to remind us of his omnipotent nature

[Predestination, Religious belief] What is the link between God and evil.

‣ If he predestines all things, he must also have caused all moral evil

‣ Augustine: "God is not the cause of sin" ∵ he is not responsible for the gift he has given

‣ Calvin: God is not predestining people to be evil, he is predestining whether they will seek forgiveness

‣ Unlikely that Augustine + Calvin thought predestination applied to every action