are you free? Freedom and Determinism

1. 4 are you free? Freedom and Determinism

2. Who controls your life? The puppet, created for the Tbilisi Marionette Theatre, is controlled by forces hidden from public view. In this chapter, you will explore whether this metaphor is applicable to your life and the choices you make. ArenaPal/Topham/The Image Works

3. Learning Objectives 4.1 Discuss the question "Are you the master of your fate?" 4.2 Explain the determinist view of human freedom.

4. Learning Objectives 4.3 Define compatibilism, the view that attempts to find a common ground between "hard" determinism and indeterminism (or libertarianism). 4.4 Explain the distinctions between indeterminism and libertarianism.

5. Learning Objectives 4.5 Discuss feminists' philosophies of freedom. 4.6 Analyze the connection between neuroscience and free will.

6. Chapter Overview Click here in presentation mode to view a video on freedom and determinism.

8. 4.1 Are You the Master of Your Fate? • Determinism • Human nature • The environment • Psychological forces • Social dynamics • Compatibilism • Indeterminism • Libertarianism

11. Paul Henri Thiry, Baron d’Holbach (1723–1789) This French philosopher and translator played a major role in the Enlightenment as a contributor to the Encylopedie, a compendium of progressive ideas and knowledge. He published his own radical writings anonymously, and his System of Nature and Common Sense were publicly condemned and burned. [Paul Henri Thiry (1723–1789) Baron d’Holbach, 1766 [wic on paper] by Carmontelle (Louis Carrogis) (1717–1806)]. Giraudon/The Bridgeman Art Library

12. 4.2 Determinism • Determinist view of personal freedom • John Stuart Mill • Baron d'Holbach, The System of Nature • Analyzing Baron d'Holbach on the illusion of freedom

14. W.T. Stace Walter Sanders/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

15. Moritz Schlick (1882–1936) A founder of the Vienna Circle, Schlick—who had a PhD in physics—was interested in creating a theory of knowledge based on direct observation and logic. UPPA/Photoshot

16. 4.3 Compatibilism • Compatibilism • Attempts to find a common ground between "hard" determinism and indeterminism • External constraints may limit freedom. • W. T. Stace • Religion and the Modern Mind • Human actions are entirety determined by causes, both actions which are "free" and those which are "unfree."

17. 4.3 Compatibilism • External constraints may limit freedom. • R. E. Hobart • Wish-will-act • Free actions • Unfree actions • The meaning of "power" • Free choices • Unfree choices

18. 4.3 Compatibilism • External constraints may limit freedom. • David Hume • An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding • Response of hard determinists and libertarians to the compatibilist definition of free choices • Internal constraints may also limit freedom. • Schlick

19. Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948). A political and spiritual leader, Gandhi helped India achieve independence through nonviolent civil protest and disobedience. What were the facts in his background that influenced his decisions? Were these choices free? Bettmann/Corbis

20. Daniel C. Dennett (b. 1942) The research of this American philosopher centers on the philosophy of mind, particularly as it relates to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. ZUMA Press/Newscom

21. 4.3 Compatibilism • Free will is a human creation. • Dennett • Freedom Evolves • Evaluating compatibilism

22. William James (1842–1910) An American thinker whose work blends science, psychology, and philosophy. James was one of the founders of Pragmatism, a school of philosophy that connects questions of meaning and truth to practical applications and consequences. Among his writings is The Principles of Psychology (1890), a 1,200-page work that introduced the concept of “stream of thought.” Science Source

23. 4.4 Indeterminism and Libertarianism • Indeterminism and libertarianism • William James, The Will to Believe • We live in a world of possibilities. • Self improvement • Morality • Religion • Social improvement

24. 4.4 Indeterminism and Libertarianism • Ways of viewing the universe • A universe of actualities • A universe of possibilities • Psychological, astrological, sociological, and economic theories • Analyzing James on free will

25. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) Sartre was a French philosopher and founder of Existentialism, a school of thought based on the idea that “existence precedes essence.” His Being and Nothingness (1943) offers a full exploration of this view. Sartre also wrote literary criticism, plays, and novels and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954 (which he declined). Science Source

26. 4.4 Indeterminism and Libertarianism • Jean-Paul Sartre, from Existentialism Is a Humanism • We create ourselves through our choices. • Existentialism • Analyzing Sartre on freedom, choice, and responsibility

27. 4.5 A Feminist Analysis of Freedom • Feminist philosophers • Marilyn Frye • Sandra Bartky

28. How can social images and roles like the “Happy Housewife” restrict people’s freedom? Many feminists believe that the freedom of women has been constrained by the coercive forces of social conditioning and psychological manipulation. George Marks/Getty Images

29. 4.6 Neuroscience and Free Will • Advancements in neuroscience • Physicalism • Francis Crick • Patricia Churchland • Alva Noë

30. Making Connections: Creating a Synthesis • Overcoming limitations to your Freedom • Confronting external constraints • Confronting internal constraints