Determinism, what does it mean for moral responsibilty?

How can we reconcile the concept of free will with a deterministic universe? If all our actions are determined by prior events, can we truly be held accountable for our actions, what does this imply for moral responsibility?

Let me set some context, determinism is the philosophical theory that all events are determined by preceding causes. In a fully deterministic world, every event is the inevitable consequence of prior conditions.

Many philosophers have explored this doctrine, which resulted in three main views: Libertarian free will, Hard Determinism and Soft Determinism.

These three are separated into two: Compatibilism or Incompatibilism.

Compatibilism is the thesis that free will and determinism can coexist, so that free will would exist in a deterministic world. Soft Determinism is on this side.

Incompatibilism is the thesis that free will and determinism cannot coexist, both libertarian free will and hard determinism are on this side but not for the same reasons.

Libertarian free will asserts that individuals have genuine freedom to make choices, meaning their decisions are not predetermined by prior actions or external causes, they believe that free will cannot coexist with determinism which is why they are incompatibilists, like the contemporary philosopher Robert Kane, one of the leading defenders of libertarian free will, and Roderick Chisholm, a 20^th century philosopher.

Meanwhile, Hard Determinism is incompatibilists because they believe that free will altogether does not exist, because determinism is the absolute truth to them. It argues that since all events are predetermined, humans cannot act freely. Paul Thiry Barron D’Holbach, an 18^th century philosopher and staunch advocate of hard determinism, argued in his work ‘The system of Nature’ that everything in the universe is determined by physical causes, leaving no room for free will. Ted Honderich is another contemporary philosopher who defends Hard Determinism, in his work ‘A Theory of Determinism’.

Painting of Paul Thiry D'Holbach, by Carmontelle, 1766, museum of Condée, Chantilly.

Lastly, Soft Determinism state that free will doesn’t require total freedom from casual influences, but rather the ability to act according to one’s desires, motives and reasoning, even if those desires are shaped by prior causes, philosophers like David Hume and Daniel Dennett are the first examples that come to mind.

Now, the question this brings is IF we truly do live in a deterministic world, should we be praised for our achievements and held accountable for our mistakes if we did not truly have a choice in doing those actions, questioning the very base of moral responsibility.

 

Meditation a.k.a the key to success

One of the first things I like to share when I meet new people are the perks of meditation.

I had an Epiphany today, I was thinking about what I could post as my first article and suddenly meditation came to my mind. It is however very odd that I haven’t thought about it before because it is something that has been a part of my routine for now almost a year and talk about all the time to my friends to get them to give it a try. 

(PSA: if you participated to the yoga class, the feeling when we layed down and focused on our breathing is the same kind of "flying" feeling there is with meditation hehe)

Meditation helps you relief stress, clear and calm your mind, find balance and inner peace within yourself. It increases your creativity, productivity, intuition and overall happiness and well-being. I also improves focus, your sleep and even your metabolism.

Fun fact: meditation reduce aging and boosts your immune system.

There is so many benefits whether it is mental, physical, spiritual or emotional. It doesn’t take much effort. Being in a period of exam I think everybody needs it!

Before sharing with you some tips and more information on meditation, I wanted to share with you some of my experiences and why I started meditating regularly.

My first time meditating was completely out of curiosity, I had before heard so much about it and how it really helps our minds. In that period I was very unhappy and stressed so I thought I should try. I started off with some guided meditation of fifteen to fifteen minutes a day and it really changed my life. I sound like I’m exaggerating but it did help me a lot, I wasn’t so tense all the time anymore and just saw the world on a brighter note. I think meditating is a great way to find peace and happiness within you.

Now there is different ways to meditate, I think the best position though is the one you feel the most comfortable in (sitting or lying down), you just have to make sure your spine is straight.

Base of breathing meditation:

-          Breathing deeply and concentrate on it. Be sure to stay focus only on your breathing. If your mind is drifting, be sure not to engage with your thoughts. Try to be in a state where you are aware of yourself and your surroundings but your mind is empty.

To start, like I did, guided meditation really helps, (there is a lot on YouTube but also apps on mobile phones, I highly recommend: headspace) but of course you can just listen to soft music that you like in the background but with no lyrics only instrumental or nature sounds. Nature sounds relax me the most; rain, waves etc…

Extra:

-          If you can’t remember your dreams at night; Meditate then try starting a “dream journal”. When you wake up, directly write what you remember from your dream. Keep doing this, you’ll see it really does work. I couldn’t remember anything from my dreams but now I know too much lol.

Here are some nice videos on meditation:

That’s it! Try and tell me all about it. Also feel free of course if you have questions to ask comment below

Xoxo