Essay On Freedom Of Free Will And Moral Responsibility

589 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Alternative causation

Krystal Luna PHR –100-601 Freedom of the Will and Moral Responsibility This world has turned into a place where people are required to take full responsibility for their actions and words. Often we do this informally, via moral judgment or if not through legal judgment. In other words we become morally responsible, deserving praise, blame, reward or punishment for an act or omission based upon one’s moral obligations, thus contradicting the concept of free will. Main viewpoints on moral responsibility interact with the following three, constructed by human action: determinism, compatibilism and libertarianism. A philosopher once said “Just as we separated the concept ‘free’ from the concept of ‘will’ in order to better understand ‘free will,’ so we need to separate ‘moral’ and responsibility." The philosophy of determinism says that “it is the belief that all events are caused by things that happened before them and that people have no real ability to make choices or control what happens.” It is the idea that every event or state affairs was determined at the...

Show More
Related

  • Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility by Harry Frankfurt

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility”, Harry Frankfurt attempts to falsify the Principle of Alternate Possibilities. The Principle of Alternate Possibilities is the principle where a person is morally responsible for what he has done only if he could have done otherwise. A person would be morally responsible for their own actions if done by themselves. If someone else had forced that person to do the action, then the person doing the action is not morally responsible. Frankfurt does not believe this to be true and that the person doing the action is morally responsible. Frankfurt’s objections towards the Principle of Alternate Possibilities shows the refutation of natural intuition and places moral responsibility upon those who deserve it.

    Read More

  • The Compatibilist Theory: The Determinist Theory Of The Free Will

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    Firstly, the determinist argue that “everything we do is cause by forces over which we have no control (James & Stuart Rachels 110). The free will this theory speaks of is most likely on the biological level, as there are many natural events that occur that people have no control over. For example, the act of cellular reproduction, this

    Read More

  • Descartes Dualism And Determinism

    2316 Words  | 5 Pages

    Determinism is a view that everything has already been laid out and planned the way it is going to be. I believe Determinism’s name comes from the thought of it being “predetermined” as if it is destiny or fate. You react based on your internal and external environment which has already been created for you. Almost like a waterfall effect. I frequently use the saying “everything happens for a reason”. Which after reading into determinism, I realized that saying is the definition to a type of determinism known as metaphysical determinism.

    Read More

  • Libertarianism is the Best Philosophy

    1632 Words  | 4 Pages

    As a result, this essay will prove that one is held morally responsible for any act that was performed or chosen by them, which qualifies as a human act. The Libertarian view consists of one’s actions not being determined; however, have free will, which is a precondition for moral responsibility. Basically put, human acts are not determined by precedent causes. Libertarianism is one of the views under incompatibilism along with Hard Determinism. The opposite of these views is Compatibilism.

    Read More

  • Freedom and Determinism in Richard Taylor’s Metaphysics

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    Determinism is the theory that everything is caused by antecedent conditions, and such things cannot be other than how they are. Though no theory concerning this issue has been entirely successful, many theories present alternatives as to how it can be approached. Two of the most basic metaphysical theories concerning freedom and determinism are soft determinism and hard determinism.

    Read More

  • Free Will Essay

    1395 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his book Free Will, Sam Harris not only states that, “Our wills are simply not of our own making” but additionally if it where declared as fact by the scientific community it “would precipitate a culture war far more belligerent than the one that has been waged on the subject of evolution.” (Ch.1) Harris’ contention is surprising as he himself states, “…most people find these conclusions abhorrent” (Ch.1) but does it really matter whether we actually have free will or not? I maintain that the existence of actual free will is superfluous. Most of us agree that we, at the very least, experience an illusion of freedom and therefore, for the good of our civilization, we must continue to live under this assumption precisely to avoid the result Harris describes.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Free Will

    1842 Words  | 4 Pages

    Free will is a problem that has been occupying the minds of many philosophers. The classical debate is whether we have free will or we are determined and therefore free will in an illusion. There are many views that philosophers have brought to the table in order to tackle this debate. Some of which are determinism, libertarianism, and compatibilism. Harry Frankfurt’s general intake on the debate is that free will is not about having the ability to do otherwise. Instead, free will is about having the ability to make judgements about our desires. The purpose of this paper is to expound and asses Harry Frankfurt’s semi-compatibilist view, his concept of a person, and how it relates to the freedom of the will.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Free Will

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    Moral responsibility is when an agent does something good or bad morally for a specific event. For example, Donating money would be something you would be praised for in a moral sense, where as stealing would be seen as immoral. Free will would be required in moral responsibility. Without Free will, People would not be accountable for their actions, such as stealing a car or vandalism.

    Read More

  • Determinism And Free Will Essay

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, I believe that is difficult to answer the question on determinism vs. free will. What is freedom? I think that both the ability to freely choice along with free will are present in our lives. External and internal factors are both huge influences on our lives, beyond our control, but because they are beyond our control does not mean that we cannot make changes. Yes, we are all born as a certain nationality, gender, race, country, and exposed to different experiences, yet we still have the ability to grow and change. If one can acknowledge these differences and what we can and cannot control, then we can move on to other forms of change and then truly experience free will.

    Read More

  • Free Will Versus Determinism: An Examination of Beliefs

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    Various views on free will have been developed since then. The three that I will mention in this essay are Libertarianism, Hard Determinism and Compatibilism. Libertarians believe each individual should look to enhance their lives through the use of free will or the freedom of choice. On the contrary, Hard determinism argues that free will is impossible. Proponents of this ideology

    Read More

  • Free Will Essay

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    I can’t help but imagine King of Kings in the manger at the time of his birth. Why did our Lord landed in a manger rather than some better place? This was the question which was my only ultimate question that I only wished so much I had proper answers, or at least some scriptural revelations.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Free Will

    1175 Words  | 3 Pages

    How much free will do we have? How free are your choices? This old problem about free will has been debated for many years, but why it is a problem to be solved, everyone knows what free will is. However, not everyone has the same idea about it. Some people might say free will is not existed and it is an illusion, but others could have an opposite view about it and say it is obviously that there is free will. It is clearly that human beings do have free will. In fact, all of our decisions were made by our own choices whether they are consciously or unconsciously. However, most people do not just live with themselves but in a society, and there are laws and rules within it. Choices and decisions might be limited because of those barrier, but

    Read More

  • Determinism: The Difference Between Free Will And Free Will

    971 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most widely discussed topics in the field of philosophy is the concept of determinism. Determinism is “the thesis that only one continuation of the state of things at a given moment is consistent with the laws of nature” (Inwagen). In other words, people do not act of our own accord but rather by the hand of a greater force in a predetermined series of events. The theory of determinism opposes that of free will, which is the belief that we have the choice to do whatever we want to do. This theory has been mulled over and over again by philosophers who believe that the laws of nature highly suggest the existence of only one pathway of events, a path that is strictly based on an exact chain of cause and effect that can be traced back

    Read More

  • Difference Between Free Will And Determinism

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout this essay, I will discuss and analyse the reasons which make free will and determinism incompatible with one another. Free will is a term which implies that every human being has been given the gift of free will by God to choose either good or evil. Free will is a freedom which every human is entitled to which allows us to make our own decisions. Determinism is a term which implies that every event which happens in life, happens from a cause. Determinism indicates that humans cannot act any other way other than the way they act. Both terms are completely opposite from one another and I will discuss why throughout this essay.

    Read More

  • Free-Will Vs Determinism

    1596 Words  | 4 Pages

    Within and beyond philosophy, lies the tension between the universal concept of free will and determinism. From a general standpoint, individuals are convinced that they rule and govern their own lives. Free will embodies that individuals have the freedom to dictate their own future. It asserts that our minds and essence have the capacity to choose our own actions and direction, whilst also choose alternative paths. Determinism on the other hand, suggests that life is a product of necessity and causation, built upon the foundations of the past and laws of nature. It threatens the thesis of free will by positing that the world and everything in it is knowable through strict cause and effect relationships - eliminating the possibility of freedom

    Read More

More about Essay On Freedom Of Free Will And Moral Responsibility

Open Document