We Are Predetirmined As Humans Essay Research

We Are Predetirmined As Humans Essay, Research Paper

In Leger Wood.s essay .Determinism: Free Will Is an Illusion. he argues that humans are determined by some cause for all of our actions. The philosophical controversy of free will versus determination has been argued, discussed, written about and studied so much that it has become over done and monotonous. However, I do agree with Wood that humans are determined by some cause. Explanations for cause may be from evidence of introspective psychology, morals, religious issues, physical science, physiology, behavioral psychology and sociology. In this essay Wood gives us the libertarians., or free willists., explanations for free will, refutes them and gives us other evidence that humans are actually determined.

To begin, libertarians and determinists both have strong explanations of their beliefs in introspective psychological evidence. The libertarians say our decisions are .without a sufficient and adequate natural cause.. They also believe that the human mind is always aware that it is making a decision at each chance it gets. They believe there is proof of these choices by having retrospective feelings of remorse after having made a decision they feel like they could have chosen otherwise. Saying that oneself may choose otherwise is a very big portion of the basis on which libertarians make their thesis. To them, there is a possibility of saying .I could have done otherwise than what I did.. Also, decisions are decisions no matter how important or trivial they may be. They include imagining other alternative, weighing the alternatives and then the choice of action. Here, one may have two or more equal choices so he must weigh them to decide, according to the libertarians. However, if the choices were equal, then the mind would remain suspended and one would never come to a conclusion.

It is not an inner-force making the decision, but it is by chance or from opposing forces that will eventually make one choice seem better than the other. This is a huge point to the determinists along with several other involving introspective psychology. Including that the feeling of freedom after having made a decision, as libertarians claim to feel, is only a sense of relief after having a great deal of stress, tension and indecision and actually the feeling of freedom is an illusion. Also, it is easier to say that one could choose otherwise in prospect or retrospect. For example, if one were making a decision to stop or go at a green light while there is heavy traffic, it is as if there is no other possibility than to go. This proves that no other choices are a possibility and that outside factors cause one to do a task. Wood says .The more carefully I scrutinize my decisions, the more clearly do I discern the motives which determine them.. This explains the general idea of introspective psychology to determinists.

Due to one.s morals, the libertarians feel as though we have free will. They believe that one chooses his own morals and to follow along with them is also his choice. The also say that people pass judgment upon others for making certain decisions and people could not be judged if they were forced to make those decisions. Also, they say that determinists cannot judge themselves because that is basically saying that they could have made another choice. Along with the idea of judgment, free-willists believe that people have responsibilities. Without freedom there could be no responsibilities, therefore people are free because we have responsibilities. And being responsible or irresponsible is choice made to each individual.

On the other hand, determinists say that morals give people direction and less freedom. Also, what you do and what you can do has no connection just like one saying, .Today is Friday, therefore the sky is blue.. There is no logic in that statement because it being Friday and the weather have no connection, just like what you do and what you can do have none. Also, to disagree with the libertarians. arguments about judgment, we believe that what one judges about someone.s actions say nothing about their will because there is no connection there either. Not only are one.s actions pre-determined, so are ones judgments on any actions. Judgments are determined by what society sees as acceptable and blame can be used as negative motivation. For example, if someone knows about another person stealing from a store they are in, the person who knows will say, .Oh, that is bad.. That judgment of the thief is pre-determined so judgment does not actually make a difference. Also, we determinists argue that freedom and responsibility are not connected and we should not be held accountable for our actions. Wood states, .If freedom is the complete divorce of the will from antecedent conditions, including my moral character, I cannot then be held accountable for my actions.. We believe this because when one chooses to do the right thing, it has nothing to do with themselves but it is because one.s values, which is an outside factor.

As far as religion goes, the free-willists hold the theme of the book of Genesis dearly. The theme is that man is always held accountable for his actions. The main point is original sin: God created Adam who was free to choose between good and evil. .Adam yielded to temptation and his original sin has been transmitted to all his descendants,. states Wood. To