In order to complete this discussion, you need to first:
read “Science Hasn't Defeated Free Will" by List
read chapters 10-11 of Dew & Gould
read "Loki and the Problem of Determinism" by Chilton
If you have not done so, stop now to read that material.
For your thread, refer to the above sources as you answer the following questions:
1. Which determinist argument against free will is strongest in your view? (Give your
reasons.)
2. Which single argument supporting free will is strongest in your view? (Give your
reasons.)
Your thread should demonstrate that you have reviewed all the assigned readings.
You may also click the three dots in the upper corner to Show Rubric.
Discussion Thread: Metaphysics Resources
Post-First: This course utilizes the Post-First feature in all Discussions. This means you
will only be able to read and interact with your classmates’ threads after you have
submitted your thread in response to the provided prompt.
PHIL 201
DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
The Discussions are meant to foster a spirit of community and collegiality; but you must also
view these as academic assignments with formal requirements. You will write a discussion post
in response to questions posed throughout this course.
You are required to submit a thread in response to the provided prompt listed in the discussion.
Each thread must be at least 350 words (not including quotes) and demonstrate course-related
knowledge whereby you include references and citations of course material. In addition to the
thread, you are required to reply to a classmate’s thread. Your reply must be at least 200 words
and should engage in the thesis of the peers original thread. Replies should challenge your peers’
theses by including ideas from course material or additional readings on related topics. Before
replying to a thread that already has replies, make sure no other thread is without a reply.
ETHC 205
DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
The student will complete 2 sets of Discussion Threads & Reply Threads in this course. The
student will post one thread of 550–650 (not including footnotes) words. The student must then
post 1 reply of 450–600 words the week following the original thread assignment. You must try
to respond to a classmate who has not received a reply yet. For each thread, students must
support their assertions with at least 1 scholarly citation in Turabian format. Each reply must also
incorporate at least 1 scholarly citation in Turabian format. Biblical references are highly
encouraged but will not count as an academic source. Acceptable sources include the course
textbooks, academic library books found in Liberty’s online library, peer-reviewed journal
articles, and similar publications. Sources such as Wikipedia, religious institution websites,
Youtube videos, and online dictionaries do not count as academic sources and should not be
used. A bibliography, title page, and contents page do not count towards word count and are not
appropriate for these discussion assignments.
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Determinist Arguments and Free Will
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Institution
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Professor’s Name
Date
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Determinist Arguments and Free Will
Q1.
Dew and Gould's (2019) determinism argument against free will is the strongest
compared to the other theories. The authors sufficiently provide evidence that the universe
operates systematically and mechanically. Every inch of the earth was predetermined and
determined to operate in a particular manner at a specific time. The authors argue that the world
operates in fixed laws of nature. Examples such as day followed by night, spring followed by
summer, and acorns falling to the ground when released by oak trees significantly cement their
belief that everything is determined and that free will is only an illusion. Human beings have
little choice to change the outcome of an event because the laws of nature drive them. Therefore,
Dew and Gould's (2019) argument against free will is that when human beings think they made a
choice based on free will, in actual sense, that choice was already determined before their choice.
Arguments against free will conclude that every event, intentional or unintentional, has and was
already determined whether an individual accepts it as true or false.
Q2.
List (2020) provides a sufficient argument in support of free will. According to List, if the
world entirely operates mechanically and every event within its paradigm is determined, human
beings would work like robots. List (2020) argues that if free will is an illusion, human beings
would all be the same in all aspects. The uniqueness of an individual would have failed to exist if
free will was a farce. List (2020) further argues that science already recognizes humans as
intentional agents capable of responding appropriately to different environmental stimuli. Such a
statement affirms that human beings are free agents with the power to decide how to respond to a
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particular event. According to List (2020), free will is a reality, and it is the basis that enables
human beings to set different goals, desires, and beliefs they would like to follow. List’s
argument claims that if free will were an illusion, human beings would not have the intelligence
to respond differently to similar stimuli.
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References
Dew, J., & Gould, P. M. (2019). Philosophy: A Christian introduction. Baker Academic.
List, C. (2020). Science Hasn’t Refuted Free Will. Boston Review. Retrieved from
https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/christian-list-has-science-refuted-free-will/
Emily Scheirer Reply
Incompatibilism and the consequence argument are sufficient arguments against free will.
Both incompatibilism posits that the laws of nature predetermine every action in the universe.
Since a current action is predetermined, freedom is an illusion (Dew & Gould, 2019).
Incompatibilism through the consequence argument argues that if raising a hand during a
particular time is a consequence of past events governed by the laws of nature, and since an
individual has zero control over the laws of nature, then raising a hand during a particular time is
also out of control. The consequence argument is the belief that individuals have minimal control
over their actions since their current activities were already determined to appear during a
particular moment. The two arguments pose logical questions against the concept of free will.
Indeed, the most substantial viewpoint supporting the concept of free will is the one that
argues that God is at the center of human life. Despite God's power over the future, human
beings can exercise their free minds to make decisions for current and future activities. Chilton
(2021) argues that God assigns moral freedom to all his creatures, unlike the MCU timekeeper,
who wanted to stabilize time for everyone. Chilton further argues that God's power does not
dictate him to control all aspects of human life. Thus, God gives human beings the option to
decide their fate.
References
Chilton, B. (2021). Loki and the Problem of Determinism. Moral Apologetics. Retrieved from
https://www.moralapologetics.com/wordpress/loki719
Dew, J., & Gould, P. M. (2019). Philosophy: A Christian introduction. Baker Academic.
