Determinism: Difference between revisions
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== '''Introduction''' == | == '''Introduction''' == | ||
Determinism, the idea that every event is determined by past events and the laws of nature, has long ignited one of the central discussions in philosophy: The question between determinism and free will. | |||
This paper examines this question by first introducing the idea of determinism by defining the term from diffenent angles, including the concepts of causality, logic, theology, and the idea that free will can exist in a deterministic world. To better understand determinism, its counterpart, indeterminism, or free will, is also introduced, leading to the following philosophical questions: "Is the universe fundamentally deterministic, | |||
meaning that every single event in the universe has already been predetermined billions of years ago? Do we really have free will the way we think we do, or are all events, including our own actions, merely the inevitable consequences of prior causes?" | |||
Throughout history, different views on this question were documented by many philosophers and scientisct. Some of them are presented in this paper: | |||
Isaac Newton, who formulated of the fundamental laws of physics, believed in a deterministic world, governed by those laws, while David Hume, believing free will can coexist with determinism, and Immanuel Kant, who believed in free will, both opposed determinism, asserting it would undermine moral unaccountability in humans. James Williams also leaned against determinism, stating it would deem the concept of regret meaningless. | |||
Arguments for and against determinism are provided using not just philosophical insights, but also interdisciplinary topics, such as neuroscientific brain experiments and experiments in the field of quantum mechanics, providing insights into modern science and provoking new questions, while encouraging the reader to reach his own conclusion on determinism. | |||
Finally, the paper discusses the implications determinism would have on the concept of knowledge, posing the question, whether determinism would make our pursuit of truth and understanding inauthentic, as it would be impossible to independently obtain or question given knowledge. | |||
== '''Etymology''' == | == '''Etymology''' == | ||
The word "determinism" comes from the latin verb "determinare" and translates to: define, establish, calculate, set out, cause, bring about and decide.<ref>Wiktionary. (2023, June 25). Determinare. In ''Wiktionary''. Retrieved from https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/determinare#:~:text=From%20Latin%20d%C4%93termin%C4%81re%20(%E2%80%9Climit%2C%20set%20a%20bound%E2%80%9D)</ref> | The word "determinism" comes from the latin verb "determinare" and translates to: define, establish, calculate, set out, cause, bring about and decide.<ref>Wiktionary. (2023, June 25). Determinare. In ''Wiktionary''. Retrieved from https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/determinare#:~:text=From%20Latin%20d%C4%93termin%C4%81re%20(%E2%80%9Climit%2C%20set%20a%20bound%E2%80%9D)</ref> | ||
== '''Definitions''' == | == '''Definitions''' == | ||
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The existence of freedom, which according to Kant is necessary for our ability to make judgements based on [[ethics]] and apply reason directly opposes the idea of determinism. “Reason creates for itself the idea of a spontaneity that can, on its own, start to act–without, i.e., needing to be preceded by another cause by means of which it is determined to action in turn, according to the law of causal connection, Kant says” (as cited in McCormick, n.d., under "8.a. – Kant’s Ethics: Reason and Freedom").<ref name=":2">McCormick, M. (n.d.). Immanuel Kant: Metaphysics. ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.'' Retrieved from https://iep.utm.edu/kantmeta/#SH8a</ref> | The existence of freedom, which according to Kant is necessary for our ability to make judgements based on [[ethics]] and apply reason directly opposes the idea of determinism. “Reason creates for itself the idea of a spontaneity that can, on its own, start to act–without, i.e., needing to be preceded by another cause by means of which it is determined to action in turn, according to the law of causal connection, Kant says” (as cited in McCormick, n.d., under "8.a. – Kant’s Ethics: Reason and Freedom").<ref name=":2">McCormick, M. (n.d.). Immanuel Kant: Metaphysics. ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.'' Retrieved from https://iep.utm.edu/kantmeta/#SH8a</ref> | ||
Kant claims that our ability to reason and follow a framework of ethical rules gives us a choice and hence makes us ethically responsible for our actions, unlike animals whose actions, due to the lack of reason, are a just a result of | Kant claims that our ability to reason and follow a framework of ethical rules gives us a choice and hence makes us ethically responsible for our actions, unlike animals whose actions, due to the lack of reason, are a just a result of causality and determination, which removes all ethical accountability from animal predators (McCormick, n.d., under "7.b – The Idea of Reason: Reason and Freedom").<ref name=":2" /> | ||
=== William James === | === William James === | ||
While claiming that he cannot prove or disprove [[free will]], William James believes in | While claiming that he cannot prove or disprove [[free will]], William James believes in indeterminism based on his own practical point of view, which states that the assumption of determinism would render the regret of bad life events completely pointless and thus, unlike the pessimists, optimists and subjectivists, perhaps being able to accept that, he himself could not live with it. | ||
Though he admits that determinism is logically possible he rejects it pragmatically as unacceptable. | Though he admits that determinism is logically possible he rejects it pragmatically as unacceptable. | ||