Denver’s Philosophies

      We have now observed the two kinds of incompatibilist theories, hard determinism and libertarianism, which hold the free will and a deterministic universe cannot coexist without conflict. However, hard determinism in its rigidity and libertarianism in its loose connections both might seem insufficient and lacking in their theories. Now we will look at a soft determinism, which hopes to merge these seemingly separate views into one view which might appeal to all people.      Soft determinism is a theory which has been around since the time of the ancient Stoics, and is a compatibilist theory, which means that, unlike the incompatibilist theories, free will and a deterministic universe are capable of coexistence without conflict. The challenge that soft determinists face, however, is finding that balance in which two concepts as dichotomous as these two are can coexist. Soft determinists attempt this in a variety of ways. One of whic...

    In the last post, we looked at a view of free will, hard determinism, where causation is law in the world, and nothing goes unplanned. This time, however, we look at the opposite end of the free will spectrum, where options are genuine in their existence – libertarianism. Libertarianism is yet another theory of  incompatibilities, in which it is stated that free will cannot coexist with a universe determined in its path.     In general, there are two forms of libertarianism – those non-physical theories, and physical or naturalistic theories. Non-physical theories tend to take on a form of dualism, particularly interactionism, in which the mind or soul as an object consists of some non-physical substance or matter and through some fashion interacts with the physical body to operate as a person. Interactionist libertarians hold that this non-physical mind is not subject to the same laws of physics as is physical matter, and as such is not bound by physic...

      One issue that is given just as much light as ethics is the debate of free will. Since the time of the original philosophers, the question has been posited as to whether the actions of man and the universe have been predestined since the original impetus, or if destiny is malleable enough that we control our own individual fates with all events being anything but  certain. The first theory that we will look at is that of hard determinism.     Hard determinism is one of two  incompatibilist theories. I ncompatibilism  is a form of theory in the free will debate which claims that free will and determinism are unable to exist simultaneously, and one is necessarily true while the other must be necessarily false. Hard determinism is the theory which states that determinism must be true and any belief in the existence of free will is false. Hard determinism views reality almost like an endless line of dominoes. One event occurs, necessitating...

    Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics was a novel piece for its time, in a way that Aristotle taught how to live the honorable lifestyle which many sought to live. Though it cannot be denied that virtue ethics is a theory with considerable strengths, that is not to say it  is without its weaknesses. The three problems that tend to be faced in the theory of virtue ethics are the problem of applied ethics, the problem of tragic humans, and the issue of moral backsliding.     The first objection to look at is that of applied ethics. This issue arises in that the general moral principle of virtue ethics is that "an action is right if and only if it is an action a fully virtuous person would perform", which sounds appealing and reasonable at first, until it is realized that there is no determined constant in the principle. For example, the vagueness of someone saying that the fully virtuous person would not be cowardly nor rash, but courageous s...

    Ethics has been a large question through the history of civilization, with one of the first moral theories being formed by the immortal philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle's book Nicomachean Ethics, also called Virtue Ethics, focuses on the notion of life in moderation, rather than living a life of excess or deprivation.          Before getting into the core of virtue ethics, we must first look at Aristotle's  teleology. For Aristotle, everything in existence, manmade or natural, has a characteristic function, which is that which it alone can do or do best. For example, a knife's function is to cut things. Virtues are those attributes which help the object perform its function well. In the example of a knife, virtues of it would be to be sharp or durable, as that would help it cut well. To find the function and those virtues of humans, however, Aristotle looked into his view of the soul, which Aristotle considered a tripartite soul, with thr...

      Utilitarianism is a common moral theory, used by government's and others who oversee a population of people such that their community might thrive. However, in a moral system purposed towards the pleasure of the majority, there are bound to be problems found within the system that need to be acknowledged before ruin.     Robert Nozick is one of the most notable objectors to hedonistic utilitarianism, though more of an opponent to the hedonism part than the utilitarianism part (though it is important to note that Nozick didn't necessarily believe pleasure wasn't of intrinsic value, just that it wasn't the only intrinsically valuable thing). Nozick was the creator of one of the most difficult challenges hedonism faces today: the Experience Machine. In Nozick's Experience Machine, imagine that a machine exists that, when activated, will give the user all the experience they could want, meaning if they want all...