Causal Determinism and Free Will - Essay Example

Lecturer’s Causal determinism is a term used to refer to the of having a condition or set of conditions that are sufficient to cause the event that occurs. This translates to the view that the state of the world at any given time holds an influence on the state of the world at the next moment meaning that, the state of the world is dependent on the events that place before the actual events that take place later. It also means that events occurring in the world occur in a form of chain reaction, such that for one event to take place successfully, certain situational demands must be met or secured. The issue of human freedom comes in with causal determinism, where free will is believed to be part of causal freedom, and that true free will does not exist. This is in relation to the creation of the perfect conditions and circumstances that lead to the various actions and events in which man participates and engages. This is in the belief of having freedom of choice to make a free decision, as to what one want. However, it is not the case as all events are present beyond one’s control in the form of having the past play a crucial role in the future. In light of this, if one were given sufficient and comprehensive information on every particle that influences his or her decisions, it would be remotely possible to come up with every scenario that is likely to occur in the course of his or her lifetime. This means that, free will is a concept limited to beliefs that man holds in relation to his inability to acquire information on all aspects of life that are relevant to his wellbeing. This implies that causal determinism takes precedence over free will, as the two are independent aspects that occur contrary to one another. In addition, psychology dictates that, in the deterministic world where causal determinism thrives, the events that take place are based on human behavior and neural functions (Smith and Oaklander 73). This is to mean that human behavior, neural functions are correlated, and that one is caused by the other. As a result, every event in the life of a human follows a set of events, which are the decisions that one makes. Thus, this makes it that the decisions that are made as a result of free will are redundant, as they end up being part of causal determinism. This is following the definition of causal determinism as having all set of condition preset before a certain event takes place, as is the case with the events that occur following decisions that humans make. Still, psychology proves that causal determinism is the way to go due to the relationship that the two hold in relation to cause and effect. This is as seen in then prediction of human behavior concerning actions and decisions through theoretical means by measuring all available aspects of individual life. Another issue that is raised in relation to causal determinism and free will is that of foreknowledge. This is in the case where there exists a superior being or power, God that knows every move and decision before man makes it. In light of this, it is impossible for man to have a free will if God already knows every move before it is made meaning that the move may be predetermined. As a result, if man’s will was free, then causal determinism dictates that no one can be able to predict or determine the next move that an individual makes (Smith and Oaklander 138). In addition, it means that the decision that humans make are determined or caused by external forces beyond human control. This is as seen due to unforeseen circumstances in which one engages in certain behavior with other factors or aspect of the activity unbeknownst to them, which results in making certain decisions that later affect or trigger the occurrence of a certain event. This proves that causal determinism beats all forms of free will due to lack of sufficient information to secure freedom of choice in behavior or decision-making. It is the same determinism, which dictates that the past is closed; thus, one cannot change it in order to alter the future in relation to events that will occur (Smith and Oaklander 136). This means that, a bound, which is to happen by past events, will happen regardless of any events to change it. This way, free will is bound by the past, and causal determinism takes the lead as the determinant to all aspects of life events. In addition, there is also the concept of fatalism in determinism, which implies that some events that occur are predetermined before they occur (Smith and Oaklander 120). This means that there may exist a grand power with power over events, making it impossible to avoid certain occurrences. In relation to this free will and causal determinism may occur in contradiction, as that, which must happen, will happen regardless of free will to change it. The above is in spite of the knowledge of the outcome of a given event and attempts to stop the occurrence. The attempts may end up being the actual catalysts to the predetermined events, meaning that all that free will does is pushing the individual involved towards the concept of causal determinism. This is evident in cases where one knows what will happen next and works hard to avoid it, as the result is unpleasant. As a result, their will drives them to avoid the event, and instead end up in meeting the predetermined event. Therefore, from the above given facts about the existence and influence of determinism, if free will would be the determinant of all life events, then events would occur in a random order, and none of them would be related. This also means that no event would be under human control if it were left to chance and free will, as every event that occurs is based on set conditions and values that set the stage for the succeeding events. Psychological influence on human behavior exists as proof of causal determinism following the course of action that humans take. This is in relation to learning where without determinism, the aspects of blame, praise and morality are lost. The above occurs if free will is the way to go, but in determinism, all aspects are incorporated to build up to each other in a dependent cycle. In conclusion, causal determinism takes precedence over free will, making it the correct view. This is due to the psychological and supernatural factors that stand in support of causal determinism, as opposed to free will due to the manipulation of free will. Work Cited Smith, Quentin and Oaklander, Nathan. Time, Change and Freedom: An Introduction to Metaphysics. New York: Routledge, 1995. Print. Read More