Philosophy of Freedom and Determinism

Freedom of the Human Person

• Freedom involves navigating competing values and dealing with consequences.
• Human freedom is the capacity to make conscious choices about life, actions, and beliefs, acknowledging responsibilities and consequences.
• Key aspects of human freedom include choice-making ability, self-determination, responsibility, and limitations.
• Human freedom is likened to driving a car: the ability to choose a destination (choice), control the steering wheel (self-determination), the need to follow rules (limitations), and the duty to drive safely (responsibility).

Freedom Versus Free Will

• Freedom focuses on the external capacity to act, absence of external constraints, and social/physical ability to do something.
• Free will centers on internal capacity to choose, mental/psychological ability to decide, and independence from external conditioning.

Determinism

• Determinism is the belief that every event, including human actions, is determined by prior events and natural laws.
• Choices are products of preceding conditions, like genetics, upbringing, and circumstances.
• Decisions are predictable as they're caused by factors beyond one's control.
• Therefore, humans are not free.

Types of Determinism

• Biological Determinism: Genes and brain chemistry control behavior and predispose humans to act, decide, or behave in specific ways.
• Psychological Determinism (Sigmund Freud): Past experiences and mental states determine choices, with mental states governing human behavior.
• Sociological Determinism: Society and culture shape all decisions and actions; human behavior is shaped by external conditions and consequences, with reinforcement shaping behavior (B.F. Skinner).

Libertarianism

• Libertarianism asserts that humans have genuine free will and make choices independent of prior causes.
• Humans are capable of being the ultimate source of their actions.
• Free choices come from the power of the will.
• Subjective experience of choice-making and moral responsibility confirm free will.

Compatibilism

• Compatibilism attempts to reconcile determinism with free will by redefining what “free” means.
• Being free is acting on one's desires, even if those desires are shaped by prior causes.
• Humans are free if not compelled, forced, or constrained.
• One acts according to their internal will.

Understanding Different Dimensions of Human Freedom

• Freedom is considered through different dimensions: self-determination (Viktor Frankl), duty (Immanuel Kant), and responsibility (Jean-Paul Sartre).

Freedom as Self-Determination (Viktor Frankl)

• Frankl argued that even in limiting circumstances, individuals can choose their attitude.
• This internal freedom cannot be taken away.
• Freedom is about choosing one's response and finding meaning.
• Everything can be taken from a man, but not the freedom to choose one's own way.

Freedom as Duty (Immanuel Kant)

• True freedom comes from following moral rules, given by ourselves.
• Acting on impulse or desire isn't true freedom.
• The Categorical Imperative: Act according to rules that could be universally applied.
• Respecting human dignity: treating people as ends in themselves, not merely as means.
• Freedom is fulfilling moral duties.

Freedom as Responsibility (Jean-Paul Sartre)

• Sartre's concept of radical freedom emphasizes that we are "condemned to be free," always making choices
• There's no predetermined essence or nature.
• Choosing is an act, and the act of not choosing is a choice.
• Choices define humans and have universal implications; freedom means responsibility to oneself, others, and humanity.
• No excuses, one isn’t responsible to choose

The Myth of Sysphus

• This is a Greek myth relevant to the concepts of responsibility, choice, and free will.

Explore the intricate concepts of human freedom, free will, and determinism in this engaging quiz. Delve into the differences between external capacities and internal choices while understanding the responsibilities that accompany freedom. Test your knowledge on what it means to navigate these philosophical ideas.