free will and determinism

• What is determinism?

  Determinism is the belief that behaviour is controlled by internal or external factors beyond an individual's control.
• What are the three types of determinism?

  • Biological determinism
  • Environmental determinism
  • Psychic determinism
• What does biological determinism suggest about behaviour?

  Biological determinism suggests that behaviour is caused by internal biological forces beyond our control, such as genetic influence.
• What is an example of biological determinism?

  The MAOA gene is a candidate for criminality.
• How does environmental determinism explain behaviour?

  Environmental determinism explains behaviour as being caused by previous experiences through classical and operant conditioning.
• What is an example of environmental determinism?

  Phobias result from conditioning, as shown by Skinner’s box.
• What does Freud's theory of personality suggest about behaviour?

  Freud's theory suggests that a mix of innate drives and early experiences determines adult behaviour.
• What are Freud's psychosexual stages of development characterized by?

  Each stage is characterized by a conflict which, if unresolved, leads to fixation in adulthood.
• What is an example of a fixation in adulthood according to Freud?

  Anal expulsive personalities result from a fixation at the anal stage.
• What does the concept of free will argue?

  Free will argues that individuals have the power to make choices about their behaviour without being determined by external forces.
• What is hard determinism?

  Hard determinism is the view that all behaviour can be predicted by internal and external forces, denying free will.
• How does behaviourism relate to hard determinism?

  Behaviourism suggests that all behaviour is the product of classical and operant conditioning.
• What does soft determinism allow for?

  Soft determinism allows for some element of free will while suggesting that all events have a cause.
• How does the cognitive approach relate to soft determinism?

  The cognitive approach suggests that individuals can reason and make decisions within the limits of their cognitive system.
• What are the limitations of genetic determinism based on twin studies?

  • 100% genetic determinism is unlikely for any behaviour.
  • Monozygotic twins show 80% similarity for intelligence and 40% for depression.
  • Higher concordance rates for MZ twins than siblings may be due to shared environment.
• free will defence - humans have been given free will by god so they are responsible for their actions
• theodicy - attempts to reconcile the existence of evil with belief in god's goodness and omnipotence
• the problem of evil is the question of how an all-powerful, benevolent God can allow suffering to exist
• compatibilist view - free will exists because we have control over our choices but these choices are determined by factors such as genetics or past experiences
• problem of evil - if an all-powerful, benevolent god exists then why is there suffering in the world
• incompatibilists believe that if everything is predetermined then there is no freedom of choice
• logical problem of evil - it seems illogical that an all powerful being would create a world where evil exists
• hard determinism believes that every action has a cause which means that people do not have free will
• soft determinism - some things are predetermined but not others (e.g. weather)
• god has created the universe and therefore he must be responsible for any suffering within it
• moral argument from evil - if god is good he wouldn't let bad things happen
• libertarian view - free will exists because it allows us to make genuine moral decisions without being influenced by external factors
• hard determinism - everything is predetermined including human action
• hard determinism states that every action is caused by previous events which were also caused by other events etc. This means that people do not have free will and cannot choose what they do
• incompatibilists believe that free will cannot coexist with determinism
• theodicies argue that if people were not able to do wrong then it would mean that they could never truly do anything right either
• incompatibilists believe that if everything is predetermined then there is no real freedom of choice
• theodicies argue that human beings need freedom to choose between right and wrong because this makes them more valuable as moral agents