Hard determinism and soft determinism Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Hard determinism and soft determinism Deck (14)
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1
Q

main principles of hard determinism

A
  • all actions are caused by internal and external factors
  • therefore no moral responsibility for actions needs to be accepted
  • our lives are completely determined by other factors-what we do is not within our control
  • no decision is genuine
2
Q

Spinoza (2)

A

‘there is absolutely no free will’

‘the mind is determined to wish for this or that by a cause’

3
Q

weakness of hard determinism

A

would this give people the excuse to go against society, only to justify their actions wight the notions that they cannot change who they are

4
Q

Sam Harris

A

you cannot decide what your will will decide’

5
Q

Darrow

A

‘nature is as strong as she is pittiless’

6
Q

John Hospers believers

A

it is all a matter of luck – therefore if you have a good life it is not down to you, you have just been lucky- fortunate to have certain determining factors influencing you

7
Q

volataire (2)

A

we can only be who we are ‘pear trees cannot bear bananas’

‘everything is planned connected and limited’

8
Q

H determinism in real life

A

Clarence Daroow and Leopold and Loeb case

9
Q

Leopold and Loeb case

A

1924
american lawyer Darrow used h determinism to save two ui students from the death penalty after they tried t commit the ‘perfect murder’. He argued that the boys had diminished responsibility because they were merely a product of their upbringing- ‘he did not make himself, yet he is compelled to pay’. They got life imprisonment instead of death penalty.

10
Q

main principles of soft determinism

A
  • mid way between h determinism and libertarianism
  • while we are compelled by external factors, we still have ultimate free will in making decisions
  • we have moral responsibility–> however factors should be taken into consideration
  • accepts that all are actions are determined; but also that moral self can override personality
11
Q

internal factors

A

genes

12
Q

external

A

upbringing; drugs; money etc

13
Q

Ghandi and S.determinsim

A

‘Ghandi starved himself to save india’

or did he starve himself because he had a good upbringing and education; which caused him to notice the injustice in India and have the power to change things?

There is a difference between Ghandi choosing to fast and a man being locked up without food. In both cases, the actions are determined and the men could not do otherwise

14
Q

if h determinism is correct

A
  • no freedom in the sense of morality
  • no point in punishment oe blaming- once they cannot help it or change.
  • People are not ‘better or worse’ they are only different- therefore if you change it is because you have it in you.
  • notion of sin becomes incoherent- exemption from sin is pointless
  • person can not be thought of as special or higher than others as they did not determine theirsuccess- no reward