My second question is when is it okay to say someone is not responsible for their actions? This is in reference to the conundrum of determinism and the law and whether or not someone whose actions are determined is still responsible for any crime they commit and if they should be punished. There are the obvious cases where someone is out of their mind but what about when someone is in their right mind. Can we argue that brains are wired incorrectly? Can we argue that if something is determined then the person is not responsible?
If we made these arguments then no one would be held responsible for their actions and no one would be praised. Our society would have no order. While punishment is not always the answer if we simply accept that no one is responsible for anything then not only would there be no punishment there would be no active reform or consequences. I believe that whether or not the world is determined people should be held responsible for both good and bad actions.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Happiness and Determinism
My first question was whether someone could be happy knowing that their whole life was planned out for them. If we knew for certain that every choice we made was predetermined would we still live as fulfilled a life as one where we at least appear and can believe that we have the chance to make a difference on our own life?
This thought has me torn. On the one hand we could trust that our choices are the right ones for our lives but on the other hand, what if our "right" choices put us into a bad spot? If we end up in a place we do not want to be it would be easier to think I can change this, I have the power to turn my life around than to give up that power to the fact that I must have done something to make this happen.
If we know that everything is already determined then the reaction to bad situations would be drastically changed. Instead of people being able to feel like they can lift themselves up, it would be like in the Middle Ages when everyone put their faith in a higher power and simply believed that even though life on Earth was miserable, they had to live that life and would eventually go to another, better place.
Nowadays however, the number of people who believe that their miserable life on Earth will end with their afterlife in a better place, is growing slim. More people are putting their faith in science and less in religion. Therefore if we lived in a world where everyone knew for a fact that they have no control over their lives the rate of depression and overall misery would be so much more than it is today because, there would be a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. The other probable outcome would be a regression to a time where we put our entire fate into the hands of a higher being or maybe even to a society with more emphasis on "survival of the fittest".
This thought has me torn. On the one hand we could trust that our choices are the right ones for our lives but on the other hand, what if our "right" choices put us into a bad spot? If we end up in a place we do not want to be it would be easier to think I can change this, I have the power to turn my life around than to give up that power to the fact that I must have done something to make this happen.
If we know that everything is already determined then the reaction to bad situations would be drastically changed. Instead of people being able to feel like they can lift themselves up, it would be like in the Middle Ages when everyone put their faith in a higher power and simply believed that even though life on Earth was miserable, they had to live that life and would eventually go to another, better place.
Nowadays however, the number of people who believe that their miserable life on Earth will end with their afterlife in a better place, is growing slim. More people are putting their faith in science and less in religion. Therefore if we lived in a world where everyone knew for a fact that they have no control over their lives the rate of depression and overall misery would be so much more than it is today because, there would be a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. The other probable outcome would be a regression to a time where we put our entire fate into the hands of a higher being or maybe even to a society with more emphasis on "survival of the fittest".
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