Hard determinism

Question 1

What is determinism?

Answer 1

Determinism is the philosophical position that for every event, there exist conditions that could cause no other event

Question 2

What are the 3 possible positions

Answer 2

1) Hard determinists - accept determinism and reject free will
2) Libertarians - accept free will and reject determinism
3) Soft determinists - argue that determinism and free will can co-exist

Question 3

Hard determinism

Answer 3

• moral agents have preconditioned choices of which they have no control
• A moral agents life is like a train running along fixed trails
• We have an ignorant view of what is going on

Question 4

Philisophical determinism

Answer 4

• John Locke (17th century English philosophy)
• all humans actions and choices have a past cause
• free will is an illusion
• Analogy of the sleeping man

Question 5

Scientific determinism

Answer 5

• Moral agents are determined physically by their genes
• is a clear link between genetic faults and various physical and mental issues in humans i.e. a person born with down syndrome
• ‘genetic fixity’ -the genes of parents inevitably determine the characters of their children
• Warrior gene

Question 6

Psychological determinism

Answer 6

• Psychological determinism is associated with behaviourism
• An early behaviourist concept of determinism was classical conditioning
• Pavlov - 19th century Russian psychologist
• ‘Pavlovs dogs’
• Watson furthered Pavlov’s work - 8 month baby and rats
• All human reactions are just conditioned responses associated with the environmental conditions
• Skinner - operant conditioning - further development of classical conditioning
• moral agents are conditioned to repeat behaviour that is rewarded and not