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Philosophy Examined Assignment: Comment on the Following Statements 1) Out of the people edited in Abel or discussed by Palmer, the following are hard determinists?
The value of philosophy The Value of Philosophy Reading "What Makes the Examined Life Worth Living" by Pruim I found the section regarding internal and external
Plato, a former student himself of Socrates, had a firm interest in the type of philosophy that examined the nature of reality, including the relationship between
rather, he drew from the rich, heady brew of art, music, dance, literature and philosophy as well. Eksteins examined ways in which life influenced, imitated, and
as the process of getting activities with and through other people. This philosophy has been so widely examined that there are literally millions of opinions and
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Assignment: Comment on the Following Statements
1) Out of the people edited in Abel or discussed by Palmer, the following are hard deterministsÂ…
Well, Palmer only discusses two hard determinists: B.F. Skinner, and Sigmund Freud. Out of the texts read in Abel, Abel discusses Skinner and D'Holbach as hard determinists.
2) Hard determinism conflicts with some of our ordinary beliefs and experiences. For example:
On the one hand, we are raised to believe that we are free, that we posses freedom of thought and action. If we come to a fork in the road, we can either go left or right, either choice is a free choice. A hard determinist would have us believe that our actions are determined, hence, unfree. If the hard determinists theory were in fact true, then, if we were to come to a fork in the road, what use would it be to choose the right, or the left path? For out decision has already been determined, according to the hard determinist point of view. Frankly, I find the idea of hard determinism utterly ridiculous, and incredibly hard to defend.
3) If hard determinism is true, then people cannot be held responsible for their actions.
This statement is true. For if hard determinism is true, then our actions are determined. Meaning that we have no control over our own actions. Therefore, we cannot be held responsible for out actions, because, we are not responsible for them, for they were determined. If this is indeed true, then the worlds judicial systems have been making mistakes for several thousands of years.
4) It is possible to interpret Freud as being committed to hard determinism. It is also possible to interpret Freud as believing in freedom.
This statement is making two claims, which may be interpreted differently by different people. Thus needing some explanation. It is true that Freud was committed to hard determinism, for he believed that the majority of a person's actions are motivated...
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