Defense of Hard Determinism - 1100 Words

A. DEFENCE OF HARD DETERMINISM Hard Determinism argues that every event is causally determined. For an event ‘A’ to occur casually means that there are antecedent causes that ensure the occurrence of ‘A’ in accordance with impersonal, mechanical causal laws. To clarify hard determinism further, let me present hard determinism as an argument. Basically hard determinism argues that: (a) Determinism is true (b) Determinism is incompatible with free will (Holbach, 451). In defense of premise (a), the hard determinist says that obviously everything is caused, therefore determinism is true. To prove that determinism is false, the opponent would have to come up with an example of an uncaused event. To defend premise (b), the hard determinist†¦show more content†¦In the instance, the man kills himself due to reasons whose immediate impulses are internal but those impulses were formed due to some external causes. One such external cause might be that his daughter was kidnapped and the kid napper called and said that if the man did not shoot himself by sun down today, then his daughter will be killed. But if the man kills himself by sun down, then his daughter will be safely returned to her mother. So in this case the man kills himself due to an internal impulse which is generated by an external cause. And in the instance where someone comes and shoots him, the cause is external as well. So in neither of these cases man is free. In the first instance when the man kills himself, he is bound by his love for his daughter and therefore does not really have a choice and in the second instance, he does not have any choice either. The conclusion is that choice does not really exist and even if it existed, it would not mean existence of free will. And complexity of the brain’s thought process when reconsidering a first impulse should not be confused with free will either. Another responsibility for me is to show why free will is fundamentally incompatible with determinism. Soft determinists, such as Stace, will say that free will and determinism is perfectly compatible with each other. But incompatibilists will disagree. Incompatibilist believes that free will means that man must be the ultimate orShow MoreRelatedDo We Have a Free Will? Essay example1462 Words   |  6 Pagespossibly shape the future of an individual through is actions. On the functional view, it is notable that even when individuals make decisions rooted on their mental states, it is possible that those states ought to have causative agents. To establish determinism, we can admit by denoting that some events in our lives happen because of prior reasons without yet losing our sense of freedom. It is actually evident that the events and actions that an individual undertakes action have different effects uponRead MoreDefending Hard Determinism Against the Strongest Objections Raised Against It1161 Words   |  5 PagesDefending Hard Determinism Against the Strongest Objections Raised Against It In this academic essay there will be a clear and defined description of both hard determinism and its eventual nemesis indeterminism. Based on these definitions there will be a personal attempt at denying hard determinism. This will be accomplished through the introduction of David Hume and his radical philosophy on causality and the relation this may have on hard determinism, as well as theRead MoreComparing Baron D Holbach s View On Determinism927 Words   |  4 Pagesof choice is not always possible because our decisions and actions are determined by factors beyond our control. This view is known as Determinism. 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In addition, sexual impulses play a large role in the psychodynamic theory. According to FreudRead MoreHow Causation Is A Relation Between Events Or States Of Affairs Essay2491 Words   |  10 Pagesan event or state of affairs. An example of Immanent causation is me recycling the paper because I’m the â€Å"agent† who recycled the piece of paper, it wasn’t done by another event. During the paper, Chisholm reflects on two objections and takes his defense on both. The first one being simply a fact of (a) He could have done otherwise means no more nor less than and (b) If he could have chosen to do otherwise, he would have done otherwise. The second objective has a broader meaning which can be summarized