4C The implications of predestination/determinism Flashcards
What are the two implications that the spec requires you to analyse?
- The implications of determinism on moral responsibility
* The implications of predestination on religious belief
[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What is the worth of human ideas on rightness, wrongness, and moral value?
• If hard. det. holds that ppl have absolutely no free will, the only conclusion = that ppl have no control over their moral attitudes
- ∴ human ideas of rightness, wrongness, moral value = no worth ∴ meaningless
[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What did Spinoza argue about moral choices?
- “there is no absolute or free will”
- A person’s moral choices = the inevitable result of a chain of infinite regress
- We can be free by understanding + accepting that we = part of a bigger whole
[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What did Hospers argue about moral choices?
- Moral values = always worthless ∵ there is always a cause that compels us to do what we do
- A moral choice = luck
[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What is the validity of blaming people for immoral acts?
- Would seem unfair to punish ppl for committing immoral acts if it is beyond a person’s control
- As they had no choice, it would be as nonsensical to blame them as it would to blame a train for going along the fixed rails in front of it
[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] Explain how the 1924 Bobby Franks murder case possibly supports the idea of determinism.
- Leopold and Leob were affluent, and were charged w/ murder of a boy who was much less affluent
- The defence lawyer, Clarence Darrow, claimed that they had been predetermined to have a superiority complex over poorer ppl ∴ could not be blamed for what they were always going to be + do
- The deterministic arg. may have been successful ∵ they were sentenced to life + 99 years, rather than the death penalty
[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What did the defence lawyer for the infamous 1993 murder case of James Bulger argue?
• That Thompson and Venables had been predet. to carry out the murder ∵ they played violent video games from a young age
[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What is the MAOA gene?
- Also known as the ‘warrior gene’
* Can lead to aggressive behaviour
[Hard Determinism, Moral responsibility] What is the usefulness of normative ethics?
• The aim of normative ethics is to act as a moral guide, but, if actions = pre.d, norm. eth.s = redundant - illustrated by two contrasting norm. eth.s:
• Divine Command Theory (religious)
- Morally good/bad based on will of G
- Exodus 20 = Decalogue: e.g. ‘Do not murder’ ∴ humanity knows that murder = wrong ∵ G has commanded it
- DCT = of no use if humans do not possess sufficient free will to choose to follow those commands
• Act utilitarianism (non-religious)
- The ‘principle of utility’ presupposes that humans have the free will to select the course of action that maximises pleasure by bringing most happiness
- If they do not have the free will, act u. = meaningless
[Soft Determinism, Moral responsibility] What are the implications of soft determinism on moral responsibility?
• It still accepts that a person’s will is caused totally by determining factors ∴ the conclusions for hard det. apply:
1) Human ideas of rightness, wrongness, and moral value = meaningless
2) Blaming ppl for immoral acts = pointless
3) Normative ethics as a moral guide = of no use
• But, other soft det. theories argue that a person’s will is not completely predet.
- Some determining factors can be overcome
- We can use our intellect to work out how our actions are being det.
- If recog. that they have been conditioned to be impatient, they can stop themselves
- ∴ 1) some meaning; 2) blamed for some actions 3) useful guides
- Problem: a line has to be drawn btwn that which is det. and open to choice
- The complexities of causality, genetic, behaviourism, make such a line diff. to follow
[Predestination, Religious belief] What are the implications for God’s omnipotence?
- Pre.d = strong illustration of G’s omnipotence ∵ only an omnipotent deity could have, and execute, a predestined plan for all humanity
- Aug. reacted angrily to Pelagius’ work ∵ seemed to diminish the omnipotent nature of G
- Aug. + Cal. argue that election ≠ based on good works
- Aug. did not see any contradiction btwn free will and G’s foreknowledge
- Qur’an 76:30 - “But you cannot will, unless Allah wills”
[Predestination, Religious belief] How is God shown to be omnibenevolent?
• Aug. notes that G did not have to save some; could have left humanity to damnation - instead, sent his son for the elect to receive forgiveness
[Predestination, Religious belief] How is God shown to not be omnibenevolent?
- Punishing/rewarding on behaviour which only he had control over
- Russel: G must be “a monster” ∵ “A God that punishes or rewards on the basis of God’s own eternal decisions is unfair and immoral”
- He predestined events such as the Holocaust
- Arminius wrote his free will theory ∵ felt the need to defend G’s omnibenevolent nature against predestination so that “God might not be considered the author of all sin”
- Extreme limit: all details of ppl’s lives = det. by G ∴ he must create all moral decisions
- No free will = all ppl are like automated robots carrying out G-given pre-programmed lives, w/o power to change anything
- Analogy: a young child may be careful or careless when playing with their teddy, but the teddy cannot choose not to be played with
- Aug: human intellect = incapable of understanding
[Predestination, Religious belief] What is the use of prayer?
- Any attempt to pray for salvation = waste of time ∵ destiny = determined
- For the elect, prayer = integral ∵ G establishes a r.ship w/ his ppl through repentance
- Calvin: elect can be sinful but G predestines them to have faith in the saving atonement of J ∴ when elect sin, cannot resist calling to seek forgiveness, which may come through prayer
[Predestination, Religious belief] What are the implications for the existence of miracles?
• Does not directly imply that miracles cannot occur
• G may have predestined all miracles, illustrated by Aquinas’ primary + secondary cause miracles
- Primary: G acts directly in the world to bring about a miracle that could have been predestined from the beginning of time
- Secondary: G uses his omnipotent nature to work a miracle through a human agent; could be pre.d
• C. S. Lewis: G = interactive; continues to introduce new laws of nature; he does miracles to remind us of his omnipotent nature
