Library Guides: Free will and determinism: Overview

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General Capabilities

Enduring Understandings

Philosophers have long disagreed about whether or not we are in charge of our own destinies.

Essential Questions

Is there such a thing as free will and if so, how do we argue for or against it?
Can our lives be predetermined and if so, what form does this take?

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Science Extended Investigation | Keywords

Keywords and phrases

Click on the terms to access a simple definition from the Oxford Dictionary online. The definitions for words and phrases marked with a hash # come from alternative sources.

Axiomatic, Determinism, Free will, Rationalism, Utilitarianism

Free will and determinism | Introduction

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Freedom and determinism (Thompson, 2010, pp. 187-190)
"What is the human mind? Can it make a difference? If everything is causally conditioned, then even the electrical impulses in my brain are part of a closed mechanical system and my freedom is an illusion. I may feel sure that I have made a free choice, but in fact everything that has happened to me since my birth, and everything that has made the world the way it is since the beginning of time, has contributed to that decision." (Thompson, 2010, pp. 187-190)
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Reference / citation: Thompson (2010, pp. 187-190) or (Thompson, 2010, pp. 187-190)
Reference list / Bibliography: Thompson, M., (2010). Freedom and determinism in Understand Philosophy (pp. 187-190). Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=350782&site=ehost-live&scope=site&authtype=ip,sso&custid=mggsvic&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_187

See also:

What is a purposeful life in 'Philosophy: the big question" (Cunningham, 2003, pp. 84-97.)
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Reference / citation: Cunningham (2003, pp. 84-97.) or (Cunningham, 2003, pp. 84-97.)
Reference list / Bibliography: Cunningham, F. (2003). Philosophy : The Big Questions. Toronto: Canadian Scholar’s Press, Inc. [CSPI]. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=129038&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Free will and determinism | Free will

Free will (Britannica High, n.d.)
"Free will, in humans, the power or capacity to choose among alternatives or to act in certain situations independently of natural, social, or divine restraints. " ("Free will", n.d.)
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Reference / citation: "Free will" (n.d.) or ("Free will", n.d.)
Reference list / Bibliography: Free will. (n.d.). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://bt-libproxy.mentonegirls.vic.edu.au/levels/high/article/free-will/35292
Philosophy of mind: free will (Britannica High, n.d.)
"A problem that dates to at least the Middle Ages is that of whether a person’s moral responsibility for an action is undermined by an omniscient God’s foreknowledge of his performance of that action." ("Philosophy of mind: free will", n.d.)
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Reference / citation: "Philosophy of mind: free will" (n.d.) or ("Philosophy of mind: free will", n.d.)
Reference list / Bibliography: Philosophy of mind: free will. (n.d.). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://bt-libproxy.mentonegirls.vic.edu.au/levels/high/article/philosophy-of-mind/108733#283964.toc

Free Will (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
"Most of us are certain that we have free will, though what exactly this amounts to is much less certain.... Let us then understand free will as the capacity unique to persons that allows them to control their actions. It is controversial whether this minimal understanding of what it means to have a free will actually requires an agent to have a specific faculty of will, whether the term "free will" is simply shorthand for other features of persons, and whether there really is such a thing as free will at all." (Timpe, n.d.)
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Reference / citation: Timpe (n.d.) or (Timpe, n.d.)
Reference list / Bibliography: Timpe, K., (n.d.). Free Will, The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://www.iep.utm.edu/freewill/
Foreknowledge and Free Will (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
"Historically, the tension between foreknowledge and the exercise of free will was addressed in a religious context. According to orthodox views in the West, God was claimed to be omniscient (and hence in possession of perfect foreknowledge) and yet God was supposed to have given humankind free will. Attempts to solve the apparent contradiction often involved attributing to God special properties, for example, being "outside" of time." (Swartz, n.d.)
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Reference / citation: Swartz (n.d.) or (Swartz, n.d.)
Reference list / Bibliography: Swartz, N., (n.d.). Foreknowledge and Free Will, The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://www.iep.utm.edu/foreknow/

Utilitarianism theory of ethics is important to understand as it forms the basis of many ethical decisions made today.

Free will and determinism | Determinism

Determinism (Britannica High, n.d.)
" Determinism, in philosophy, theory that all events, including moral choices, are completely determined by previously existing causes." ("Determinism", n.d.)
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Reference / citation: "Determinism" (n.d.) or ("Determinism", n.d.)
Reference list / Bibliography: Determinism. (n.d.). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://bt-libproxy.mentonegirls.vic.edu.au/levels/high/article/determinism/30105
Problem of moral responsibility (Britannica High, n.d.)
"Problem of moral responsibility, the problem of reconciling the belief that people are morally responsible for what they do with the apparent fact that humans do not have free will because their actions are causally determined." ("Problem of moral responsibility", n.d.)
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Reference / citation: "Problem of moral responsibility" (n.d.) or ("Problem of moral responsibility", n.d.)
Reference list / Bibliography: Problem of moral responsibility. (n.d.). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://bt-libproxy.mentonegirls.vic.edu.au/levels/high/article/problem-of-moral-responsibility/403440

Free will and determinism | Onlne resources

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) This link opens in a new window
Use the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) to familiarise yourself with the keywords and terms as well as thinkers and their thoughts relating to free will and determinism.

Free will and determinism | Curriculum Alignment and Metadata

This Mentone Girls' Grammar School LibGuide supports the following Victorian curriculum outcomes. Click on the links to explore more.

Critical and Creative Thinking / Levels 9 and 10 / Questions and Possibilities [VCCCTQ043]
Investigate the characteristics of effective questions in different contexts to examine information and test possibilities
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Elaborations:
* identifying the distinctive characteristics of questions as part of an inquiry that draws on different learning areas
* discussing how a question might change to suit different contexts, for example how questions about human wellbeing might change depending on scale of investigation, and evaluating proposed questions
* examining a list of questions and identifying which are the most effective and why
Critical and Creative Thinking / Levels 9 and 10 / Questions and Possibilities [VCCCTQ045]
Challenge previously held assumptions and create new links, proposals and artefacts by investigating ideas that provoke shifts in perspectives and cross boundaries to generate ideas and solutions.
Critical and Creative Thinking / Levels 9 and 10 / Reasoning [VCCCTR047]
Examine how to identify and analyse suppressed premises and assumptions
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Elaborations
* analysing inferences and the assumptions they are based on and discussing if these are justified
* discussing a claim that an assumption is ‘self-evident’ and does not need to be separately argued for, for example that projected rapid population growth will decrease food security
* supplying a suppressed premise in order to fill a gap in an argument and justifying the selection
Critical and Creative Thinking / Levels 9 and 10 / Meta-Cognition [VCCCTM053]
Investigate the kind of criteria that can be used to rationally evaluate the quality of ideas and proposals, including the qualities of viability and workability
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Elaborations:
*developing and applying criteria to assess a range of examples of proposals and justifying whether refinements are necessary
* developing and applying ethical considerations that should be taken into account for a research proposal or a performance
* assessing the workability of a response to an issue by examining practical implementation considerations
* assessing the viability of a solution by considering the risks associated with it