Destiny & Free Will, Week IV [Monday, Period 4]

[atreideslioness]

Ghanima had handwavily sent out a notice to meet down by the pond again, since it seemed almost criminal to have class indoors during the summer.

"Good afternoon!" she said cheerily. "Hopefully you all aren't too tired from your move back to the dorms, as we have lots to discuss today."

"The question of free will is if, and in what sense, rational agents exercise control over their actions and decisions.  Addressing this question requires understanding the relationship between freedom and cause, and determining whether the laws of nature are causally deterministic. Sounds fun, hrm?"  

"The principle of free will has religious, ethical, and scientific implications. For example, in the religious realm, free will may imply that an omnipotent divinity does not assert its power over individual will and choices. In the ethical sense, it may imply that individuals can be held morally accountable for their actions. And last, but far from least, in the scientific arena it may imply that the actions of the body, including the brain and the mind, are not wholly determined by physical causality. Needless to say, the question of free will has been a central issue since the beginning of philosophical thought."

"Society generally holds people responsible for their actions, if law and order prevail, and will say that they deserve praise or blame for what they do." Ghanima shook her head, mouth pinched in distaste. "However, many believe that moral responsibility requires free will. If you have no free will, then how can you be held responsible for anything? Thus, another important issue in the debate on free will is whether individuals are ever morally responsible for their actions—and, if so, in what sense."

"There is an example that those of you native to this planet and era may be familiar with," she said, walking forward to being writing on the board.  "St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans addresses the question of moral responsibility as follows: "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" If you follow Paul's line of reasoning, individuals can still be dishonoured for their acts even though those acts were ultimately completely determined by God."

"Of course, no matter the rules one chooses to abide by, there are almost always exceptions," Ghanima stated. "One exception to the assumption that moral culpability lies in either individual character or freely willed acts is in cases where the insanity defense—or its corollary, diminished responsibility—can be used to argue that a guilty deed was not the product of a guilty mind. In such cases, the legal systems of most Western societies assume that the person is in some way not at fault, because his actions were a consequence of abnormal brain functions."

"Now, then, let's ponder." Ghanima leaned against the wall to survey the room. "Moral responsibility, madness, and free will. Go." 

[OCD UP]

Comments

Re: Class Discussion: Moral Responsibility

[trigons_child]

Raven nodded. "A destiny does not control every single action. What you do along the way may make a difference."

Re: Class Discussion: Moral Responsibility

[17andinfected.livejournal.com]

Shilo nodded. "Just because a child is born to a murderer, does not mean that the baby will grow up to be a murderer as well." Because that wasn't part of a song in Repo! didn't hit too close to home at all. "It's all nature versus nurture, I suppose."

Re: Class Discussion: Moral Responsibility

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah nodded. "And those actions can decide how or why your destiny happens. There are always choices, no matter what you think your destiny means or is asking of you."

Re: Class Discussion: Moral Responsibility

[glacial_queen]

"Do you think it's possible to avoid or change you destiny by certain actions or inactions?" Karla asked.

Re: Class Discussion: Moral Responsibility

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah nodded. "I do," she said quietly.

Yes, she believed quite firmly in this and had her reasons.

Re: Class Discussion: Moral Responsibility

[glacial_queen]

At this, Karla smiled. "So do I."

Re: Class Discussion: Moral Responsibility

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah gave her a relieved smile.

Re: Class Discussion: Moral Responsibility

[glacial_queen]

Karla shot Raven a smile. "I agree. What you do along the way may even change your destiny. I've always felt that seeing the future is seeing the future as it is now. But every action you take can change that. Some futures may be harder to change than others, but there is nothing is set in stone until it happens. And with this place, I'm not willing to say that that's a certainty."

Re: Class Discussion: Moral Responsibility

[trigons_child]

Raven smiled back at Karla. "Not set in stone, yes," she said, nodding in agreement. She had to believe that.

Re: Class Discussion: Moral Responsibility

[glacial_queen]

"As long as you're smart, and careful, and try the best you can to muddle through, you should be all right. It's when you start taking the easy route, or stop caring, or stop worrying about the consequences, that's where true accountability begins."