Freedom of Will and

Determinism
Introduction to Philosophy
LIU
Instructor: Abir Chaaban
 Determinism ( Hard Determinism)
• Determinism is the theory that everything in the universe
is governed by causal laws. (Thomas Hobbes ( See
Facebook group and Baron D’ Holbach see Pojman
387-389).

• The theory is based on the materialist physicalism theory

of mind and body.

• As we recall the materialist argues that everything that

exists is matter. Humans have no souls or mind, and
what determines action is desires interests and brain
activities. ( See lecture on the Mind-Body Problem)
 Determinism ( Hard Determinism)
• Determinism argues that we have no moral choices and
no moral responsibilities.

• Our actions are predetermined by physical causes.

• If we were omniscient we would predict everything that

will happen in the future.

• Therefore, every human actions are event. Human

actions are determined ( they are not free choices) by
causal laws. (Pojman Pp 378-379)

• Vocabulary: omniscient: ‫ كلي العلم‬,‫عالم بكل شىء‬

 The structure of the Argument
• The basic argument of hard determinism is as follows:
• P1: No action is free if it must occur.
• P2: For any event X there are antecedent causes that
ensure the occurrence of X in accordance with
impersonal, mechanical causal laws.
• C: No action is free.

• Thus, since causes guarantee that their effects occur

and since everything that happens is the effect of some
cause or set of causes, everything must occur. So
nothing is free.
 Immanuel Kant Objection to
Determinism
• Kant argued that the principle of universal causality is a
synthetic a priori-that is, an assumption that we cannot
prove by experience but simply cannot conceive not to
be the case.

• Kant thought that w are programmed to think in

deterministic manner. Nevertheless the notion of morality
provided a powerful incentive to believe in freedom of
will. Kant’s Dilemma (Pojman Pp. 379-380).

• When I have a choice I ask about the what choices do I

have and what reasons will cause my action.
Kant’s Objection to Determinism
• Kant says persons are like things in the sense that physical laws
apply to their bodies;

• Persons are NOT like things because they can be conscious of the
operation of these laws. (A thing is just subject to laws; it is not
conscious of being subject to laws.)

• People can thus be aware of physical and psychological laws as

observers, from the outside.

• When a person thinks about how to behave, a person considers

reasons not causes and effects.

• Causes are never relevant to someone's action. When I have to

make choices, and I choose my action on the basis of reasons.
Libertarianism ( freedom of will)
• Libertarianism is the theory that we do have free
wills.
• Libertarians do not contend that all our actions
are free, only some of them.
• Libertarians offer two main arguments for this
position:
– The argument from deliberation and
– the argument from moral responsibility. ( Pojman Pp.
381-382).
• This position is argued by William James
Pojman P.p 389-399 and by Corliss Lamont
(Pojman Pp. 399-402).
The Argument from Deliberation
• The argument from deliberation sates that every
human being is free to make the choices he
does and that deliberations leading to these
choices follows. ( Pojman P 381).

Vocabulary
• Deliberate: ‫ موزون‬,‫ مرو‬,‫ متأن‬,‫ مروى فيه‬,‫ متعمد‬,‫مدروس‬,
 The Argument from Moral
Responsibility
• Determinism conflicts with the thesis that we have moral
responsibilities.

• This moral responsibility implies that we have a choice to

make between good and evil actions.

• We take moral responsibility very seriously because we

believe that do have duties, oughts, over which we feel
rational guilt for failing to perform.

• There can be no rational feelings of guilt if we were not

essentially free.
 Compatibilism
• One of the answers to freedom of will and determinism is
a middle ground between the two.
• This view is called soft determinism or compatibilism. It
is similar to Kant’s view.
• Soft determinism or compatibilism argues that we are
determined, but we still have moral responsibilities. The
distinction is made between voluntary and involuntary
actions.
• The language of freedom and the language of
determinism are both necessary for man kind. One is
necessary for science and the other is necessary for
morality and personal relationships. ( Pojman P.p 382-
383)
• Walter T. Stace takes this position (Pojman 411-416)
 Essay Question
Are human beings fully determined or are they free agents having a
moral responsibility for their actions.
Write a paper arguing your position on this question. In your paper
you should summarize the different positions ( determinism,
libertarianism and compatibilism and then present your position.
Use real life examples to contextualize your answer. Is the
Revolution in Egypt determined by existing causes or is it a call for
freedom by free and rational agents seeking liberation, or is it a
combination of causes and free will).

In order to write your essay you should all read pages 37-383. Then
you should read the articles of Baron D’Holbach (383-389), William
James (389-399), Corliss Lamont (399-402) and W.T. Stace,(411-
417) to make a choice of the position you choose.
Good luck