Determinism vs Indeterminism

The Dispute between Determinism and Indeterminism

• Determinism professes that the universe's parts appoint what other parts shall be.
• The future is fixed; the present is compatible with only one totality, set from eternity.
• Indeterminism states parts have loose play; laying down one doesn't determine others.
• It acknowledges possibilities exceed actualities and ambiguous future alternatives.
• Indeterminism denies the world as a unit, affirming pluralism and aligning with views of actualities floating in possibilities.
• Determinism says possibilities exist nowhere; necessity and impossibility are the sole categories of the real.
• Unrealized possibilities are pure illusions.
• The core issue is the existence of possibilities, things that may or may not be.
• Indeterminists believe another volition might have occurred, determinists deny this possibility.

The Role of Science

• Science can't determine which view is right.
• Science draws conclusions from facts, yet assurance of an event doesn't reveal if another could have occurred.
• Facts prove other facts, irrelevant to possibilities.
• Existing facts don't sway us towards determinism or indeterminism.

Faith vs. Objective Testimony

• Belief shapes views.
• The division into "possibility men" and "anti-possibility men" stems from differing faiths/postulates of rationality.
• Preference for a world with or without possibilities is a feeling.

The Fear of Chance

• Deterministic aversion rooted in dislike for the idea of chance.
• Indeterminism is perceived as "chance".
• Chance is deemed intolerable to a rational mind.
• The concept of chance is seen as inherently negative and disruptive.
• Chance, however, is a negative, relative term, indicating disconnection from control, security, or necessity.
• Chance provides no specific information.
• Perceived independence or ambiguity would ruin everything.

The Implications of Choice

• Belief that independent choices lead to universal chaos.
• The hypothetical choice between Divinity Avenue and Oxford Street illustrates ambiguity.
• Determinists would claim one choice was impossible from eternity due to inherent irrationality.
• Observers can't determine which universe is impossible.
• Both universes, after the fact, appear equally rational.

Determinism and Chance

• Determinism implies denial of alternative possibilities.
• Indeterminism equated to chance.
• Chance viewed only as something negative.
• No part of the world can absolutely control the destinies of the whole.
• The text does not argue for the existence of chance.
• The theoretical question is framed as unanswerable.

Implications of a Deterministic World

• The idea of difference between a world with chances and a deterministic world is explored.
• The notion of a deterministic world leads to implications.
• Judgments of regret are a constant in a deterministic world.
• Wisdom involves minimizing regret.
• Regrets for cruelty or treachery are difficult to stifle.
• The Brockton murder case illustrates a field for regrets.
• A deterministic viewpoint sees the murder as necessary, denying any alternative.
• To admit possibility would be irrational.
• The universe may be seen as having a bad moral fit.

Deterministic Pessimism and Optimism

• Persisting in regret leads to pessimism since the murder cannot be changed.
• Deterministic escape from pessimism involves abandoning regret.
• Viewing evil as a condition for a higher good allows for optimism.
• An infatuated optimism could be a positive life outlook.
• Cruelty and treachery are seen as nature's fruits.
• Pessimistic temper, regrets, remorse, and grief are considered blasphemy.

Judgements of Regret

• Deterministic pessimism transforms into deterministic optimism by ignoring regret.
• Judgments of regret are deemed wrong.
• Alternative judgments of approval should replace them.
• Nothing else can occur.
• When acts cease to be sins, regrets become theoretic errors.
• The nature of theoretic and active life is in conflict regarding evil.