Dr. Nobel Ang
Is free will and freedom of choice an illusion?
Causal determinism is the view that every event and action in the universe is determined by the laws of physics. The French philosopher and mathematician Simon Laplace, for instance, claimed that if he knew the location and motion of every object in the universe, he would be able to predict the location and motion of every object at any point in the future. Since human actions and choices are events and actions in the universe, on this view, all our actions and choices would also be determined by the laws of physics: What I will have for breakfast on January 1st 2030 is already determined by the laws of physics, and I cannot choose or do otherwise. If determinism is correct – trust me, it is very hard to prove that it isn’t – and there is no possibility of choosing or doing otherwise, wouldn’t free will be an illusion? What would be the role of consciousness in this deterministic universe? If all my actions have already been determined since billions of years ago, can it make any sense to hold me responsible for them? In this lesson, we will freely (?) consider such questions, and explore the views of various philosophers over the centuries and see how they have grappled with the issue of free will. If time permits, we will also look at recent scientific work that might shed some light on this issue.
What's love got to do with it?
Why do we love? More specifically, why do we love certain people and not others? There are three possible answers to this last question: The Appraisal View: Mary loves Tom because he is brave and has a great sense of humor, but does not love Jim, even though he is also brave and humorous. Why does she love Tom and not Jim? According to this view, Mary loves Tom because Tom, unlike Jim, expresses these qualities in such a way that results in a “fit” with Mary’s way of appreciating and receiving these values. The Bestowal View: Before one falls in love, one has no reason to love. But once one is in love, one bestows value on the loved one, and this value then becomes the reason for being in love. Before Mary fell in love with Tom, Mary had no reason to love Tom. But once she falls in love with Tom, she starts valuing Tom’s qualities (he’s brave, has a good sense of humor etc), and this valuing then becomes her reason for loving Tom. But this raises further questions: Does the act of falling in love somehow cause Mary to value these qualities, or is it the having of these qualities that cause Mary to fall in love? If the latter, would Mary then cease to love Tom if he were to one day become a humorless coward? After all, it does seem possible for people to continue to love each other even through changes in personalities and character. Which brings us to… The No Reasons View: There are no reasons for love. Love is blind, as they say. In this lesson, we will consider these and other love-related questions