We do not posses any genuine freedom, Discuss
“We do not possess any genuine freedom to act ethically” Discuss (35 marks)
A person who acts ethically is one who will choose to make good decisions, those that are morally right and are good avoiding the wrong decisions which may have negative consequences. We can link the idea of acting ethically with morals, as an ethical person will have a good set of morals, this is because it is our morals that help is to freely decide which decisions to make, and encourage us to act selflessly and ethically. Eventhough, we have the ability to exercise our free will in all manner of ways and make choices, do we always have free will ? I believe freedom to be the ability to make your own choices, which are not influenced by anyone else’s opinions or decisions, when faced with either a difficult or easy decision. Some philosophers believe that our ability to make free choices is an illusion which means that we are not free at all. Others state that there is something else beyond our understanding that may cause our actions to be determined. These theories can be linked to Determinism. Determinism says that there are laws that exist outside of our control that cause the things that happen-laws such as gravity. Scientific laws determine all our actions based on what has happened before. Previous events have consequences that may be determined and which in turn will cause more consequences. This can be linked to Aristotle’s teachings which stated that every action has some sort of cause and therefore an effect. Therefore we cannot help our actions when they have already been decided for us. In contrast, from a religious viewpoint there are mixed theories. The traditional Judeo-Christian view is that human beings are free, autonomous agents, responsible for their actions. A perfect example of this is Adam and Eve who exercise free will in choosing to eat the forbidden fruit. They are held responsible for their actions by God who punishes them. St Thomas
A person who acts ethically is one who will choose to make good decisions, those that are morally right and are good avoiding the wrong decisions which may have negative consequences. We can link the idea of acting ethically with morals, as an ethical person will have a good set of morals, this is because it is our morals that help is to freely decide which decisions to make, and encourage us to act selflessly and ethically. Eventhough, we have the ability to exercise our free will in all manner of ways and make choices, do we always have free will ? I believe freedom to be the ability to make your own choices, which are not influenced by anyone else’s opinions or decisions, when faced with either a difficult or easy decision. Some philosophers believe that our ability to make free choices is an illusion which means that we are not free at all. Others state that there is something else beyond our understanding that may cause our actions to be determined. These theories can be linked to Determinism. Determinism says that there are laws that exist outside of our control that cause the things that happen-laws such as gravity. Scientific laws determine all our actions based on what has happened before. Previous events have consequences that may be determined and which in turn will cause more consequences. This can be linked to Aristotle’s teachings which stated that every action has some sort of cause and therefore an effect. Therefore we cannot help our actions when they have already been decided for us. In contrast, from a religious viewpoint there are mixed theories. The traditional Judeo-Christian view is that human beings are free, autonomous agents, responsible for their actions. A perfect example of this is Adam and Eve who exercise free will in choosing to eat the forbidden fruit. They are held responsible for their actions by God who punishes them. St Thomas