Taylor in Freedom and Determinism Term Paper

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If we assume that 1) and 2) are true, then hard determinism is valid. Free will then is only an illusion that man perceives as a result of the complexity of all interacting cause-and-effects. Although he thinks he has possible courses of action, his final choice has already been the sum result of these interacting variables. However, if either 1) or 2) is false then it breaks down the whole concept of hard determinism.

This paper further argues that 1) and 2) are both false. First, the cause-and-effect concept is only a human phenomenon. What we know as science is only a generalization of seemingly regular and repeatable events. For example, Newton's laws of motion had been considered the only way of explaining the movement of planets, stars, and galaxies. This generalization has been accepted for hundreds of years. However, Einstein's theory of relativity has shown inconsistencies in Newton's explanation (example: gravitational lenses and time dilation). We haven't and might not know every law of nature there is to know. We are also not absolutely certain if some law would be broken or be discovered in the future.

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The free will might even be considered a "cause" in itself. Thus, the only thing certain with law of cause-and-effect is that it might be only a human perception.

A universe with no randomness is essentially a predictable universe. Laplace's demon can then predict everything as it's supposed to do. However, a predictable universe is also an assumption. This is the main goal of science - to predict everything in the universe. It is also part of human nature to find patterns, since it's essential for his survival. it's possible that the universe is not random. However, it's also possible that it is. Recent developments in quantum physics suggest that there are tiny random stuff happening inside atoms that make the universe essentially unpredictable. When we add up these tiny random stuff, it cascades up to the cosmic level and some things now become unpredictable.

Determinism then becomes valid at a certain level, and becomes compatible with free will. This is the main goal of soft determinism. Moral responsibility thus becomes valid, since man's actions are not the result of constrained actions but by free.....

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"Taylor In Freedom And Determinism" (2008, March 15) Retrieved June 5, 2026, from
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