Determinism Reading We Are Both Thesis

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Bruce N. Waller, through Chanelle, denies moral responsibility for a person's actions. How does he argue his unusual position?

Choice by its nature arises from character -- except for flipping a coin or certain subatomic acts of randomness, nothing happens without some causal predisposition. No one can not 'be themselves' and make a choice. A rebellious teen from a classically-inclined family who has musical talent but takes up the electronic guitar rather than the oboe is still making decisions that casually proceed from his character. Sabrina is lucky to have the genetic predisposition to practice, family support, and exterior structures that support her innate determinism to play the oboe and make her able to choose a musical career. Someone needs to have a desire to practice a talent, or a desire to change a bad habit. Without the predisposition to want to change, no change will occur.


There is no moral superiority, in other words, behind the actions of people who seem more 'determined' by force of will to change, even if they are not predetermined by fate to do so. Our lives are not so determined that we can easily predict what musical instrument we like, our degree of success, and so forth, but on the other hand, we are not so free that by sheer force of will, our options for moral actions are limitless. This is why people who advocate 'tougher' crime laws with more punitive consequences and assume the individual has control over all of his or her actions, seldom produce programs that alter behavior, given the degree to which the environment predisposes individuals towards a life of crime, and also certain genetic character traits like impulsivity and aggression may make some people more susceptible to those negative….....

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"Determinism Reading We Are Both", 20 April 2009, Accessed.21 May. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/determinism-reading-both-22707