Taylor Chapter 5 Cory Ruda

Though the world seems like a series of hazy, undefined things, Taylor wishes to implant the understanding early that nothing is wholly unknown or undefined. All things are exactly as they are, though we may see them otherwise (ig., Though we may only see a rose bush as having A few roses, there really in an exact amount of roses, even though we do not know it) Taylor then ties this to: The world, the moment before, was precisely what it then was. Given exactly what went before, the world, it seems, could now be none other than it is. (p35) To summarize: The world is now the only way it now could be.

 Reflections such as this suggest that there are antecedent conditions, known or unknown, which, because they are given, mean that things could not be other than they are. (p36) This is the most basic understanding of Determinism, the idea that everything has both a cause, and is an effect for something else, in the world. An example: Dr. Reitsma is struck with a frisbee. He looks around to see where it came from. Dr. Reitsma is late to class after pummeling a freshman who threw a frisbee at him. The frisbee had a cause (the thrower,) the looking around had a cause (the frisbee,) the pummeling had a cause (the looking around,) and the being late had a cause (the pummeling.) Everything in that chain was both a cause and an effect, just as everything else in life has.

 There is no direct timeline in Determinism, since all events and objects are already causally determined to both happen and cause other events / objects. Everything in the world would have and be a cause and effect. All people (including their actions, thoughts, etc.) have and are causes and effects. All people (including their actions, thoughts, etc.) are already causes and caused. Does this eliminate the possibility of free will? Ultimate responsibility for anything that exists, and hence or any person and his deeds, can thus rest only with the first cause of all things, if there is such a cause, or nowhere at all, in there is not. Such, at least, seems to be the unavoidable implication of determinism. (p38)

 Even if everything is Pre-Decided, there are still things that are fairly certain to happen in individuals:
1) There is often deliberation on what actions an individual will take next 2) An individual may often (if not always) have a decision about what he or she will do next

 There are three parts of deliberation that are necessary to understand the process: 1. I can deliberate only about my own behavior and never about the behavior of another. 2. I find that I can deliberate only about future things, never things past or present. 3. I cannot deliberate about what I shall do if I already know what I am going to do. 4. I cannot deliberate about what to do, even though I may not know what I am going to do, unless I believe that it is up to me what I am going to do. (p40) 5. I deliberate in order to decide what to do, not discover what will happen. (p50)

 How can Free will and choice really be defined? Free will must include: 1. Being able to directly control the actions that are about to be taken (ig., moving my finger in the direction I want, as long as I am physically able to do so.) 2. The definition of it as a conjunction and not a disjunction (Having choice x AND having choice y; I can do both options, but not at the same time.) 3. Being able to make these decisions without being coerced or forced into them.

 3 Defining Factors: 1. All human behavior is both causal and determined. 2. Voluntary behavior is not impeded, coerced, or forced. 3. Those Voluntary behaviors are determined by the inner workings of the individual choosing those behaviors, namely, his will, choice, decisions and desires. Under soft determinism, an individual is free, and occasionally responsible for his or her actions. This doesnt solve anything, or give anything a legitimate answer.

 This may lead a person to then throw away the idea of determinism. However, that leaves us with nothing-ism, indeterminism. In this case, we are nothing but a random, mobile creature, roaming and acting without cause or reason. We are wholly a zombie, but without the urge to eat, be it brains, flesh, or cheetos.

 Both of the theories (Determinism, and Indeterminism) fall prey to the ideas set forth before: 1. Some choices follow from deliberation 2. Some of those choices are made under free will. (p49)

 The only working condition using the data gathered (1 and 2 from the previous slide) would be a creature who: 1. Are occasionally causes of their own behavior 2. Act out of their own free will sometimes 3. Acted under some reason, though that reason must not be the cause of it. (ig., I want that frisbee so I turn towards it, not I got hit by that frisbee so I turned towards it.)

 Acting must be caused by the agent (or individual) being the whole cause of the action, and the agent must be the whole cause of said action. As an agent who causes occurrences and event, it is wholly logical for me to deliberate on the actions and events I will cause.