Chrysippus, a well-known stoic who lived in ancient Greece, believed in determinism through causality. He justified moral responsibility through his view of compatibilism, whereby we may be praised or blamed for our actions because they are ultimately in our power. But it's important to start with the basis for Stoic determinism. This is contrary to those of the Epicureans that held a libertarian view of free will. Instead, the Stoics argue for a logical connection between all things. Nothing, the Stoics argue, can be without cause. They viewed the world as a complex causal chain where everything that happens must have a cause. This causal chain is what Chrysippus calls fate, which he describes as "a certain natural everlasting ordering of the whole; one set of things follows on and succeeds another, and the inter-connection is inviolable."" (Long & Sedley, p. 336). Chrysippus does make the distinction that fate is not some superstition being that is controlling all being, but rather simply the physics of the causes of what happens (Long & Sedley, p. 337).
Yet, Chrysippus must be committed to the idea that fate is a material entity, given the Stoic view of materialism. Fate then must have a substance, which he says is breath, the same substance of the soul (Long & Sedley, pp. 337, 315). But he seems to give some contradictory explanations here by calling fate the "rationale of the world." And Alexander equates fate with God (Long & Sedley, pp. 337, 338). And God, for the Stoics, is the world itself, as the universal mind. They call God the cause of all things, and also the commanding-faculty of the world (Long & Sedley, p. 323).
The differing view of fate here may come about by the different Stoics themselves. It seems that Zeno may have held more of the traditional Greek view that fate is simply the landmarks in a person's life that are set out from birth. These events would be inescapable regardless of the person's attempts to alter the outcome (Long & Sedley, pp.
It is here where the philosophy of determinism comes into effect. ... Determinism can also be applied to various aspects in life in which we make decisions. ... The answer is simple "soft determinism. ... One can once again relate back to my story to further understand soft determinism. ... In doing so, one can easily denote the importance of soft determinism. ...
DETERMINISM The modern philosopher in the quotation argues that Modern science is experimental because it uses the experiment to understand nature. ... Because in determinism events are determined by the former events, the pattern is determined. ... In determinism the nature is seen as a closed system. ... In criticizing determinism, Prigogine says science is a form of communication between people and nature. ... Beside chaos theory Aristo's system also challenge the logic of determinism. ...
Biological Determinism is centred around the premise that biology is the sole determinant of who we are as a person, based on whether we are male or female and the characteristics that each of the sexes possess. The term biological determinism buys into the idea that certain behaviours are justified and there is little that we can do to change what biology has predestined for us. ... Biological Determinism certainly supports stereotypes and oversimplification of women and men as having their realms in both the private and public sphere that are best suited for them based on their sex. ......
Before we begin analyzing this question, it is important to first look at the meaning of determinism, what a hard determinist is, and how we define punishment. Determinism is defined as: A thesis that states that if you list all the causally relevant facts pertaining to an event at a given time, these facts uniquely determine what will happen next. A hard determinist believes that determinism is true, and that free will is an illusion. ... This brings you to the question, "Should the criminal even be punished since all freedom is destroyed by determinism, and all he really could do was the...
The ideology of biological determinism has often been misconstrued by scholars, scientists, philosophers, and the average uninformed individual. As time goes on, the understanding of biological determinism gets better and better. Richard Lewontin does an excellent job in presenting examples of ideology of biological determinism in his book "It Ain't Necessarily So; The Dream of the Human Genome and Other Illusions". Lewontin's book provides different examples of beliefs about biological determinism, including the ideology of smaller heads and the relation of brain size and the ideolo...
Determinism, where all choices are predetermined, is seen in two main ways, biological and environmental or social. ... He claimed that the concept of free will or self determinism contradicted the sovereignty of God. ... However, since every event must have a cause, self determinism, which denies this, must be self-contradictory. ... When determinism and predestination come into the picture, freedom is no longer a part of it. ... When put in the concepts of determinism and predestination, freedom is limited, and is no longer free. ...
Throughout history, the problem of free will vs. determinism has sparked major debates between philosophers. ... Often, the free will vs. determinism debate arises in discussions of religion. ... Another topic, which addresses Determinism vs. ... It is at this point that determinism splits into two positions-hard and soft. ... This argument makes it clear that soft determinism is really no different from hard determinism. ...
There are scientific arguments for determinism, which often involve matter and energy creating the universe and all of its interactions, predetermined by the initial conditions of the universe. There are also religious arguments for determinism that entail that God's omniscient nature implies God's knowledge of all things that were, are, and will be and therefore no action could be executed without God's prior knowledge and determination of the action. ... According to Strawson, he could never make sense of the ideas free will and determinism. ... Since moral responsibility is b...
In soft determinism, our actions are casually determined by the relevant natural conditions under which they occur. ... Gregor's lack of free will and inability to choose his career makes him a hard determinists and since he has no control over his free will, soft determinism and libertarianism don't suit his life style. ...
Determinism is too often used as an excuse for the actions of a guilt ridden, condemned population. ... In reference to the issue at hand, Determinism vs. ... In summation, the concept of free will is consistent with the world we live in, while determinism fails to give explanation to the acts of men. Determinism predicts the outcome of the will through probability, but it can not reach to the origin of man's inherent will. ... In all practicality the will of the average man lines up, strictly, with his/her circumstances, like Determinism. ...
