Essay on Freedom and Determinism in Richard Taylor’s...

Freedom and Determinism in Richard Taylor’s Metaphysics Metaphysics, as discussed by Richard Taylor, can be defined as the effort to think clearly. In order to contemplate a metaphysical issue, we require data (the common beliefs that people hold about that issue). A metaphysical problem occurs when such data do not agree. To resolve the problem, a theory must be established which removes the conflict by either (a) reconciling the conflicting data, or (b) proving one set of data to be false. Metaphysical thought has inspired many theories that attempt to address the conflicting data of determinism and freedom. Freedom, as defined by Hume, is the ability to act according to the determinations of the will. Freedom allows for moral†¦show more content†¦Negative freedom can be defined as the freedom from constraint within a causally determined framework, whilst positive freedom can be the freedom to initiate creative actions. These two types of freedoms can exist either concurrently (as they do in the rights and responsibilities of s ociety) or separately (as they do in the life of a slave). As soft determinism only allows for negative freedom, it presents a sort of underprivileged type of freedom. According to this theory, the inner state of an agent determines at what choices the agent arrives. (Here it is possible to question what causes the inner state of the agent). The deterministic nature of soft determinism requires the answer to be that the inner state is determined. The result of the inner state, therefore, could not have been any different than what occurred. Had the cause of the inner state been different, the result would have been different accordingly. This can lead, however, to an indefinite regression of the causes of inner states, each being causally determined. A further threat of the theory is that the inner state of a person could be externally imposed, negating the freedom of soft determinism. Hard determinism uniquely resolves this conflicting data of freedom and determinism, by denying the very existence of freedom. Under the theory of hard determinism, everything is caused by a previous cause, therefore making everything not only determinate, but also causallyShow MoreRelatedWhat Is The Problem Of Freewill?1495 Words   |  6 Pagesfreewill is â€Å"the power of acting or not acting without constraint†. Universal causation or hard determinism (both terms I shall use interchangeably) is the belief that â€Å"events in the future are fixed, as a matter of natural law, by the past†. Indeterministic theories such as libertarianism preserve freewill by maintaining that not all events are determined by preceding causes. Both indeterminism and determinism are incompatibilist theories as they imply that universal causation erodes the prospect ofRead MoreDavid Hume s Theory Of Free Will1559 Words   |  7 PagesAre you choosing to read this essay? Or are you just constrained by the laws of nature? David Hume describes The Problem of Free Will as ‘the most contentious question of metaphysics’. Initial exploration into this school of thought gave rise to several philosophical viewpoints supported by modern thinkers. Hard determinism bases its viewpoint on the strict theory of causality, rejecting the idea of free will. On the contrary, Libertarianism opposes this, supporting the concept of free will and denyingRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesseries: Paula Hamilton and Linda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning