To what extent can I determine my own destiny?

Essay , 2003 , 6 Seiten

Philosophie - Praktische (Ethik, Ästhetik, Kultur, Natur, Recht, ...)

Whether one is the master of his own will, or merely a puppet in some grander play, has been the subject for debate for centuries. Does one have autonomy or are they a victim of determinism? Clearly those who favor autonomy, or free will, believe that each person has their destiny in their hands, directing it as they see fit, able to make alternate choices if they so desire. Those who favor determinism, see the world in a different light. They see a world with external causes limiting one’s actions and removing the control from the individual. Some believe the two concepts are mutually exclusive of one another, while others see them existing symbiotically. When one considers to what extent they can determine their own destiny, these facets of this debate must be explored.

Table of Contents

To what extent can I determine my own destiny?

References

To what extent can I determine my own destiny?

Whether one is the master of his own will, or merely a puppet in some grander play, has been the subject for debate for centuries. Does one have autonomy or are they a victim of determinism? Clearly those who favor autonomy, or free will, believe that each person has their destiny in their hands, directing it as they see fit, able to make alternate choices if they so desire. Those who favor determinism, see the world in a different light. They see a world with external causes limiting one’s actions and removing the control from the individual. Some believe the two concepts are mutually exclusive of one another, while others see them existing symbiotically. When one considers to what extent they can determine their own destiny, these facets of this debate must be explored.

Determinism is most often defined as “generally, the doctrine that every fact in the universe is guided entirely by law (in Christian theology, by God's law). All facts in the universe are dependent upon and conditioned by their causes. "Soft" determinism removes the ultimate cause from the immediate cause of a fact; "hard" determinism describes every fact as directly caused by law” (Passantino & Passantino). Those who subscribe to determinism feel that every event in life is established due to the events that preceded it, therefore, these events are fixed (“Determinism”).

Autonomy, or free will, subscribers see events as a result of the agent’s self-generated actions. In Christian theology, free will theism involves God’s endowment of the ability and inclination to make choices, commitments, etc., without being bound to make these actions by external causes. Autonomy is the self-determination of rational beings (Passantino & Passantino).

The Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics has led many to believe that quantum theory disproves physical determinism. However, physicists, such as Einstein and Bohm, have not come to that conclusion. If one holds to the belief that quantum uncertainty is a reality, the only theory it supports is that of random will, not free will (“Quantum Mechanics”).

True free will would be the freedom of action without restraint. And, if autonomy exists, it can wield its control through causal relations. It is these causalities that present restraints. As is the case with gravity limiting the conditions under which a person can fly, gravity does not prevent one from flying.

The one important distinction to make, in this discussion, is the difference between determinism and fatalism. With fatalism, one cannot have any action on the future as it is already set, “therefore, that human deliberation and actions are pointless because things have to be the way they have to be” (“Fatalism”). Yet, determinism accepts that the future is shaped by the actions of individuals, yet if those actions were to be different, so would be the future.

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• Hochschule: University of Phoenix
• Autor: Kimberly Wylie (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2003
• Seiten: 6
• Katalognummer: V60423
• ISBN (eBook): 9783638541039
• ISBN (Buch): 9783656778080
• Sprache: Englisch