The Pros And Cons Of Determinism

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There have been many different theories and arguments based on whether determinism is true. To understand this argument, you must first understand what determinism is to Peter van Inwagen. Determinism as Peter van Inwagen states in “The Powers of Rational Beings: Freedom of the Will,” that all that happens in life is the product of what has happened in the past and the laws of nature, making people have no control over the choices they make or events that happen in their lives. The laws of nature are laws that develop from human nature, which includes “ethical belief or system of beliefs” (Natural+law). People form this system of beliefs that are morally right or wrong. Each persons has a unique perception of the laws of nature. For example, many people would think that killing an innocent human being is morally wrong while others may feel from their self-perception of the laws of nature, that it is okay to go out and kill an innocent human being. Inwagen believes if determinism is true, then a person’s life is planned. They have only one future that is planned out for them. In other words, he explains this as being at a fork in a path in which you have four ways you can go. You think you have the freedom choose which path to go down. The other three choices do not go along with past events and the laws of nature and the plan that has been set out for yourself. Even if the path you go down might lead you away from the way your life is supposed to be, it will always bring you back to the right path that is set for you and your self-laws. For instance, a flower is lying on its side slumped up to the ground. The flower will eventually stand up and find its true path, facing the sun. P1 states that if “determinism is true, then every... ... middle of paper ... ...onsequences like me coming to visit the University of Arkansas and end up loving the campus so much that I decided to attend college there. Not all people believe this argument and believe we do in fact have the power to go back in time and change past events and the laws of nature. It is impossible to do this, for we matter of fact do not have these powers within us. Even though every action we take is not free they are meant to happen to give us experiences. The paths we take always end up taking us to the right path that it is supposed to be for our lives. Experiences that lead us to find out things about ourselves we did not know. These experiences we go through, either good or bad, make us grow in life. These actions are planned for us to perform so that we can become more knowledgeable and gain self-awareness. A self-awareness that gives us fullness in life.

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