Philosophy Radio! drlabasham777's Podcast
Society & Culture:Philosophy
Hi friends!
Introduction to Philosophy/Philosophy of Religion: Here we have out introduction of “Hard Determinism”. You are not free because you are causally determined.
Hard determinism accepts the Libertarian definition of free choice or free will. Remember (P_) means reason/evidence. (C_) means conclusion based on that reason/evidence.
P1) A person is free if and only if they can literally do differently than they do (libertarianism’s definition of freewill).
P2) Hard determinists then argue that: We are controlled by the inescapable physics and chemistry of our brain, as mathematically understood.
C1) They conclude we cannot be free because we cannot do differently than we do.
P3) They add that to be morally responsible (P1) must be true. The inevitable conclusion,
C2) We are not morally responsible.
So where did they go wrong? The argument is valid; if the premises are true the conclusions must be. So, are the premises true?
We also have the compatibilist alternative—where freewill is portrayed as compatible with causal determinism.
Now we turn to the redefinition of freedom required by soft determinism, also know as compatibilism. The idea is simple. If we redefine what free choice is, no longer the ability to differently than we did, we can escape the supposed tyranny of our brains, and declare us free as long as we are not insane internally or forced, manipulated or otherwise controlled externally.
So, please, if your brain permits, provide a single brief paragraph on whether you think you are controlled by your brain or you control your brain.
Enjoy the cast!
Cheers~
Dr. Lee Basham
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