Skip to main content

What is the idea or belief that people have a fixed nature that makes them who they are and fully defines them?

The general philosophical term for this is "determinism." Philosophers have, since the very origin of the discipline in classical Greece, debated the question of the degree to which we are determined by external circumstances or some fixed aspects of our natures versus the degree to which we are autonomous and have free will. Religious thinkers are also concerned with the problem of how humans can have free will if God or gods are omnipotent and...

The general philosophical term for this is "determinism." Philosophers have, since the very origin of the discipline in classical Greece, debated the question of the degree to which we are determined by external circumstances or some fixed aspects of our natures versus the degree to which we are autonomous and have free will. Religious thinkers are also concerned with the problem of how humans can have free will if God or gods are omnipotent and omniscient and predestine us to salvation or damnation. 


The question of free will versus determinism is especially important when we think about ethics. For example, if someone is mentally ill and commits a crime, we might argue that the person is not in control of his or her actions and thus is not legally culpable. As biology, psychology, and medicine make new discoveries about the nature of our brains and behaviors, increasingly it can be argued that psychopaths or other types of criminal may be hardwired to act in certain anti-social ways, while other people may equally be predisposed to what we view as morally good forms of behavior. If our actions are determined by genetic and environmental factors rather than free will, we need to rethink our ethical systems to somehow take these issues into account. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more