Open Theism vs. Closed Theism
This topic is one that has had my curiosity piqued for the last few years and is one I have made a point of discussing with many people over the course of that time. I have heard many different viewpoints, some who have been adamant for God's omniscience and knowledge of the future and others who have presented compelling arguments for free will. Most, however are of a third category who have come to grips with the fact that our mere brains cannot understand the workings of God and are content to wait for an answer until they are able to ask them themselves if/when they get to Heaven. I myself hold this latter idea to be a good fallback, but am restless in my pursuit for an answer. For neither the deterministic nor the liberalist perspective seem to have me convinced for it seems to me like both of these beliefs leave you in a dire catch-22: if you insist on complete freedom, you limit God's knowledge; but if you insist on God's knowledge, then you limit humanity's freedom; neither of which leave my mind at rest in who I know God to be and what His scripture has revealed to us in His creation of humanity.
So I am left with an unsettled feeling that there must exist a third alternative--one that encompasses both God's complete omniscience and humanity's unleashed freedom. The closest established belief I would at this point categorize myself with believing would be that of St. Thomas Aquinas and Anselm, which you site on pg. 119 of your text.
The pitfall I see in the libertarians' viewpoint is their assumption that foreknowledge implies cause. For instance, by their understanding of foreknowledge, if Chris were to somehow know beforehand what the outcome of a football game would be, but were nothing more than a spectator in the stands, Chris, by this knowledge, somehow CAUSED the outcome of the game to end the way it did. This does not hold up in common sense. Just because Chris somehow were able to KNOW what would happen does not mean that he, by the same token, CAUSED it to happen. And such is the case with God. Just because God KNOWS what will happen in the future of the world does not mean that he literally entered the 'game' and caused it to happen.
Libertarianism is a political philosophy that upholds free will as its pivotal objective. As a natural law, there are no events that happen by chance, each event is derived from a cause that led to a specific effect. The law of cause and effect is one of the most universal and most certain of all laws. Ted sider says “humans and humans alone transcend the laws of nature; they are free.” Only humans are dismissed from the effects of a cause when it comes to Free will. I believe it is flawed to assume that we are the only exception to a natural law of our universe. Something as complex as our brains, such as the universe for example, did not create itself, or the phenomenon’s that occur in it. We know that in our solar system events all derive from a specific cause and we also know that everything in our universe is made up of the same matter, and we are all connected energetically. With that being said, I think it is absurd to believe that humans transcend the most established law of
All in all, each view of the philosophy of free will and determinism has many propositions, objects and counter-objections. In this essay, I have shown the best propositions for Libertarianism, as well as one opposition for which I gave a counter-objection. Additionally, I have explained the Compatabalistic and Hard Deterministic views to which I gave objections. In the end, whether it is determinism or indeterminism, both are loaded with difficulties; however, I have provided the best explanation to free will and determinism and to an agent being morally responsible.
With this form of choice, we are not compelled to act by any other force; it is our moral consciousness that is free and decides. Moreover, these decisions result from the character and moral views of the person themselves, and – according to Libertarians – we are free to act on these decisions but we are also morally responsible for them. We are perceived as free agents with the capability to make choices and accept the consequences. We – as humans – have a sense of weighing up options before we make decisions. However, some people argue that causation is a fact of the universe but Libertarians believe it does not apply to the human will. Libertarians attempt to demonstrate this idea through quantum mechanics as well as the chaos theory; these theories attempt to prove that nature is indeterministic and therefore not everything is determined. If we look at chaos theory, which is the idea that there is apparently random behaviours within a deterministic system, we can see this idea of things not being determined. However, this ‘randomness’ is not due to a lack of laws, but rather due to immeasurable variations in the initial conditions affecting the outcome of an event. Furthermore, this is why chaos theory is often referred to as the butterfly effect as the beat of a butterfly’s wing in Europe could lead to a hurricane in
Imagine starting your day and not having a clue of what to do, but you begin to list the different options and routes you can take to eventually get from point A to point B. In choosing from that list, there coins the term “free will”. Free will is our ability to make decisions not caused by external factors or any other impediments that can stop us to do so. Being part of the human species, we would like to believe that we have “freedom from causation” because it is part of our human nature to believe that we are independent entities and our thoughts are produced from inside of us, on our own. At the other end of the spectrum, there is determinism. Determinism explains that all of our actions are already determined by certain external causes
Japan, at first, let the newcomers in and learned about them, and let them learn a little from them. However, they didn't have very good experiences, like as portrayed in document twelve, the Japanese thought of the Europeans as arrogant and full of themselves, and the Europeans, like Will Adams in document fourteen, didn't like what the Japanese did, in holding them there when they wanted to leave, and the way they treated the women as completely there just to serve and help the men, as was mentioned in document eleven. The Japanese, as in document fifteen, said that innovations had to be reported, and listed them right next to factional conspiracies, as if they were both equally bad, showing that the Japanese didn't want to advance technologically, and wanted to stick with tradition. The Europeans as we already know, where rapidly advancing technologically, because of their fierce rivals with each other, making Japan dislike them even more. The Europeans, who were trying to spread Christianity as well as become rich, thought that the Japanese would convert quickly, as Francis Xavier wrote in document thirteen, “They see clearly that their ancestral law is false and the law of God true, but they are deterred by fear of their prince from submitting to the...
Prior to the Meiji Restoration, the Western powers viewed Japan as the backward nation because “in terms of military strength and economic development, Japan was indeed far behind the Western nations” (Hane and Perez 84). The Meiji government feared that Western nations would colonize Japan because they had already done it to other Asian countries by using military forces (Hane and Perez 84). The Meiji government’s fear came out to be true when the Western powers imposed unequal commercial treaties on Japan. Because of these unequal treaties Japan was “deprived of the right to regulate tariffs, and Western residents in the treaty ports were granted the privilege of extraterritoriality” (Hane and Perez 84).
The problem of free will and determinism is a mystery about what human beings are able to do. The best way to describe it is to think of the alternatives taken into consideration when someone is deciding what to do, as being parts of various “alternative features” (Van-Inwagen). Robert Kane argues for a new version of libertarianism with an indeterminist element. He believes that deeper freedom is not an illusion. Derk Pereboom takes an agnostic approach about causal determinism and sees himself as a hard incompatibilist. I will argue against Kane and for Pereboom, because I believe that Kane struggles to present an argument that is compatible with the latest scientific views of the world.
Taxes in the United States include payroll taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, and a multitude of others. These taxes may be imposed on individuals, business entities, estates, trusts, or other forms of organizations. In general, there is a lot of inquiry on the current tax system. With endless loopholes, a regressed economy, and corruption there has been widespread anger on the current structure of taxation. Consequently, the wealthy have managed to become even richer despite the economic crisis. Furthermore, many taxpayers in the upper class have found loopholes to avoid substantial taxation or otherwise known as tax evasion. (Stewart 2013) Tax evasion has only grown over the years and with the national debt has become a major issue. What is more, is the intense complexity of the entire taxation process. Addressing all the issues and problems regarding the taxation structure is a meticulous and arduous process. With this in mind, politicians from both parties have tried to address individual issues within the taxation paradigm. Being that the United States has the highest corporate tax in the globe, politicians have tried to change policy regarding taxation on businesses. (Sullivan 2013) How...
Back in the days of the Odyssey and The Iliad, heroes were classified by their accomplishments. From Odysseus to Achilles, all of the men who were idolized as heroes were so idolized because of their world-altering deeds and conquests, unfathomable wealth, and achievements that would forever be remembered in history. But today, in a world pillaged by war, poverty, controversy, drugs, disease, and economic blunders, who truly deserves to be called a hero? No longer are there titans on the earth, bloodthirsty men with chain mail armor, lances and swords, leading enormous armies into battle. And yet, though circumstances have changed, people haven’t, and the need for heroes, for role models and beings of unfathomable perfection, has not dissipated from society even as the ancient hero has. In America today, the concept of a hero is much different. People in the ancient world were idolized because of inconceivable strength, wealth, or intelligence, however the people that modern Americans admire and model themselves after poses qualities such as selflessness, bravery, and determination that make them true role models.
Abortion, “the ending of a pregnancy before the fetus can live independently outside the mother,” (Brown par. 1) has been practiced since ancient times. With records dating back to the “ancient Egyptians, Grecians, and Romans,” (History of Abortion par. 1) it’s no question that abortion techniques have been used throughout the ages as an effective form of birth control. Pregnancies were once terminated through a number of methods, including the use of sharpened instruments, herbs, manipulation, and other techniques. (History of Abortion par. 1)
This reflective essay will lay emphasis on one of the learning needs I have developed during my two week taster placement in hospital. Reflection helps an individual build upon their skills and makes room for self-criticism as he or she can contemplate upon actions and make relevant changes (Taylor, 2000). I will be applying the “What”, “So what” and “Now what” model of reflection by Driscoll (2000) in this piece of work because it is a more coherent and comprehensible approach to follow when writing a reflective account and is also an easier guide to writing reflections. The learning need I chose to reflect on from my learning plan is having a better understanding of diabetes and the 6 basic medications used in treating the condition since it is a common illness on the ward I am have been allocated on for my first placement. The timescale set for achieving this objective was by the end of my two week placement that is from 27th January to 9th February and I achieved it with the help of a host of factors. In this assignment, all the names of the patients and wards have been omitted and indicated with letters and numbers for confidentiality reasons as stated in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code of conduct (2008). The paper will primarily touch on the type 2 diabetes and furthermore on the achievement on my learning need.
It may be that humans do not have any amount of free will as determinism and indeterminism suggest, but this idea is hard to accept for many. A lack of free will implies a sort of meaningless existence where our “choices” don’t actually matter. Additionally, placing blame and holding people responsible in a world without free will would be complicated, but more than likely we would have to do it anyway in order for humans to survive. In order to maintain society, we have to acknowledge, at least on a practical level, the fact that we all experience life’s decisions as genuine choices and believe that that is the reality of free
... so many troubles in the past and in the present. When a person has been through a challenge, and they have the strength to conquer they are a hero. It takes so much strength just to even cope with the challenge, and having to resolve it takes a heroic act..
Many people say that a hero is a supernatural being with special powers that they use in order to help society and defeat an evil villain; others may say that a hero has to wear a cape and have a cool name. These things can be concluded from various stories, movies, or fairy tales and can be very commonly dispersed among people all over the world. Heroes of today, such as firefighters, policemen, or doctors, don’t have to be these things and might never be. Never less, they are heroes because they all want to help people no matter what the cost, even their lives. This is called being selfless and wanting what’s best for others, not yourself. Anyone can be a hero to someone if they do something to help another person who is unable to do a certain task,but this is not the only quality of a hero. This can include taking the trash out for the elderly. Some, like John Barth, say “Everyone is necessarily the hero of his own life story.” This also means that one does not have to defeat anyone to be a hero because one could be having an internal conflict with oneself. The characteristic being selfless is a prime example of how the heroes of today are and what they do for society through their selfless acts.
Free will is one of the many gifts which God gave to humanity and it is in our power to make the right decisions. On the other hand, determinism deprives each human of the ability of choosing and having the power to make their own decisions. Determinism cannot be true as our actions are not pre-determined before events happen. God gave us the gift of free will because He has predestined what will happen to use during our lives. Galen Strawson stated “if events are not necessitated to occur just as they do, then we are still unable to exert control over our choices and actions” (Ethical Theory, 2012). The gift of free will results in an agent choosing their own course of action which is not determined by any previous or future events. The agent carries out their action in the way in which they wish to do so, and the agent makes their own choices. When an agent acts using their free will, they are right to be held morally responsible for their actions because events and actions are not pre-determined. For example, “a man's motives are not given by what was happening to him immediately before he started to act” (The Philosophical Review, 1957). Humanity have the gift of free will which allows us to make our own decisions. Free will can be a curse for some of us and for others it can be a blessing. God gave us the gift of free will so that we could live our life according to God and this would influence humanity to make the right decisions, but this is not always the case. Determinism if it were true, would mean that all our choices and actions would already be planned out including the bad ones, but Calvinists believe all of humanity go to either heaven or hell and this was predestined by God. When an agent makes a wrong decision and is punished, it would be morally wrong to blame God because the reason He gave