WJEC/Eduqas RS for A2/Yr2: Religion and Ethics (DRAFT)

T4 Determinism and free will

AO1 Activity Work in groups of three. Firstly, divide the three implications of hard determinism between you: 1. The worth of human ideas of rightness, wrongness and moral value. 2. The value in blaming people for immoral acts. 3. The usefulness of normative ethics. Each person then summarises their implication in no more than 75 words. Each person then presents their summary to the other two people in their group. Implications of soft determinism on moral responsibility Classical soft determinism, as accepted by Hobbes and Ayer, states that a person has free will if their predetermined will is not hindered. However, the important point here is that classical soft determinism still accepts, as does the theory of hard determinism, that a person’s will is caused totally by determining factors. Therefore, the conclusions drawn above about hard determinism also stand for classical soft determinism: ■ Human ideas of rightness, wrongness and moral value are meaningless But there are other soft determinist theories. These argue that a person’s will is not completely pre-determined (as opposed to classical soft determinism). One such soft determinist theory, supported by Peter Vardy, gives a greater role for free will. This is because it argues that some of our determining factors can be overcome. How might they be overcome? Firstly, by using their intellect, people may be able to work out how actions are being determined by the determining factor, such as genetic makeup and conditioning. Secondly, a person can attempt to overcome some of these determining effects. For example, people may recognise that they have been ‘conditioned’ to be impatient. Having recognised this, people can sometimes stop themselves from being impatient. This allows people to gain some freedom. It is questionable whether a person can become totally free from determining factors because a person may not be able to recognise and control all these factors? If the above is true then it can be argued that human ideas of rightness and wrongness do sometimes have some value. The implications of this are that individuals can be blamed for some of their immoral acts and that normative ethics are sometimes be useful as moral guides. However, the problem is that a line still has to be drawn between that which is determined and that which is open to choice. The complexities of causality, genetics and behaviourism make such a line difficult to draw. Implications of predestination on religious belief Background The concept of predestination has many important theological implications for religious belief. Predestination, as traditionally presented by Augustine or Calvin, states that all human beings are corrupted by sin because of ‘the fall’ of Adam and Eve. Sin entered the world as a result of humanity’s weakness. One result of ‘the fall’ was that all people were prone to sin. However, some people will receive ■ It is meaningless to blame people for immoral acts ■ Normative ethics as a moral guide are of no use.

Specification content The implications of predestination on religious belief: the link between God and evil, the implications for God’s omnipotence and omnibenevolence, the use of prayer and the existence of miracles.

DRAFT

Specification content The implications of predestination on religious belief: the link between God and evil, the implications for God’s omnipotence and omnibenevolence, the use of prayer and the existence of miracles.

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