Freedom, Determinism, and Responsibility
Fatalism, Determinism, and Freedom
There is no way of knowing in advance the decision a person will make when faced with a dilemma. Free behavior is characterized by not being predetermined. However, some mythical, religious, and even scientific conceptions deny the existence of freedom, arguing that everything is predetermined.
Fatalism
Fatalism, one of the oldest mythical and religious conceptions, posits that the world is predetermined. According to this belief, destiny is inescapable. The future is already written and unavoidable; the only thing one can do is accept it. Fatalism suggests that everything has been preset since the beginning of time, and freedom is an illusion. Although it may seem like there are many possible futures, there is only one, and it is already determined.
Determinism
Determinism, arising with modern science, proposes that if one knows the laws of nature and the initial state of the universe, the future can be predicted. In this view, any act, including human actions, is perfectly predictable. Simon Laplace, a proponent of determinism, stated, “An intelligence that at a given moment knew all forces acting in nature and the situation of all beings…nothing would be uncertain and the future, as the past, would be present before its eyes.”
Freedom and determinism appear contradictory. If humans are free, yet the world is deterministic, how can freedom emerge in a deterministic world? Different answers have been proposed:
- Freedom is an illusion created by a set of automated processes.
- The physical world is deterministic, but the spiritual world is the realm of freedom (Descartes’ dualistic view).
- The world follows deterministic, mechanical laws, except for human beings, who are creative and innovative.
- Determinism is false, and the proof is that humans are free. The determinism of laws is an illusion because reality is explained by indeterministic laws.
Behaviors of Living Beings and Freedom
Motor behaviors are responses organisms give to external and internal stimuli. Human behavior is characterized by deliberation and projects:
- Tropism: Typical of plants, these are reactions to environmental stimuli, primarily growth towards or away from a stimulus.
- Taxis: Also reactions to environmental stimuli, but unlike tropisms, they involve movement towards a stimulus, not growth.
- Reflexes: Immediate, involuntary, and genetically inherited nervous system responses to stimuli.
- Instincts: Inherited patterns of behavior common to all members of a species, emerging as adaptations.
- Conscious Behavior: Human behavior differs by being conscious, creative, and innovative in response to environmental problems. It is deliberate and inventive, not automatic or predetermined.
Responsibility
Responsibility and guilt are related but distinct concepts. A person can be responsible without being guilty. Numerous types and degrees of responsibility exist.
Characteristics of Responsibility
- Responsibility requires acting freely. Circumstances that diminish one’s ability to act for oneself also diminish responsibility.
- Responsibility means having power and assuming that power.
- Responsibility is a commitment and implies a bond of trust with others.
- Responsibility involves living in a community, being rooted in it, and caring for those around us.
Philosophical Perspectives on Responsibility
- Nietzsche: Humans are domesticated by customs that force conformity. Concepts like guilt are used to achieve this submission. Freedom is the ability to not be accountable to anyone, not even oneself.
- Sartre: Responsibility is rooted in the idea that nothing can be good for us unless it is good for everyone. Behind each individual is an ideal choice for humanity.
- Weber: Introduced the notion of ethical responsibility for politicians. A politician must act according to beliefs and principles but also consider the consequences of their actions.
- Arendt: Connected responsibility with education. She observed a crisis of authority in recent decades, meaning that adult authority has been diminished.