"Human Responsibility" - written 3/6/01
Solomon defines determinism as �the theory that every event in the universe, including every human thought and action, has its [sufficient] natural explanatory causes; given certain earlier conditions, than an event will take place necessarily, according to the laws of nature� (Solomon, 227). From that stance, it follows then that if every action or choice was brought about by earlier events and conditions, �free choices� are not actually free, and not actually choices. According to this theory, humans are nothing but pawns in a game they cannot control.
I, for one, do not accept the notion that I am not in (some) control of my thoughts and actions. Mental freedom cannot be an illusion caused by applying the principle of universal causality to our mental processes. Although I do agree that certain prior experiences, such as interactions with parents and friends, have helped to influence the way people think and act, I also believe that those prior circumstances do not
completely determine what humans do or why they do it. It is my firm belief that all humans are instilled with a will that is independent of how past experiences and conditions have shaped their behavior.
Let us say the theory in question were not a theory at all; it is the true nature of human reality. If hard determinism is true, then it could also be said that no one can be held responsible for their thoughts and the actions that issue from those thoughts, no matter how horrible or heroic their actions may be. We deem people responsible for what they do when they could have refrained from so acting. If their actions were already determined by previous events, they did not have the choice to refrain from acting in that particular way. They were part of the event that was supposed to take place necessarily. They were not acting freely for their actions were out of their control, and therefore cannot be held responsible for what they did. If this is how human action and human interaction occurs, then there would be no need for police officers, or courts, or even laws. A reality such as this is so opposite of what our society
actually is; ours is a society that respects and needs figures such as judges, lawyers, and police officers to logically determine, based on each individual case, whether or not a person is responsible for his or her actions.
�Man is responsible for himself, not only for his own individuality, but for all men. Man chooses himself, and in choosing for ourselves, we choose for all of humanity� (Sartre, 247). It seems as though Jean Paul Sartre would not agree that judges and lawyers were always necessary in determining a person�s responsibility for their actions. According to his stance, humans should innately know that whatever they do, they are responsible for those actions and the consequences they bring. It is these consequences that affect all men, therefore making the individual responsible for all of humanity, not just himself.
When a person chooses to ignore the responsibility of his actions and blames outside influences for those actions, they are said to be living in bad faith. Bad faith is the denial of responsibility for the choices within one�s life; it is the denial that one has options at all times and that one is forever responsible for the repercussions they bring.
So what is so bad about bad faith? What does it take away from our lives? It robs us of our innate free will, our ability to make decisions. It takes away the ability to overcome certain obstacles, our ability to �transcend our facticity� (Solomon, 190). It steals our freedom and makes us its slaves. Determinism and bad faith can be compared to chains of gold � a desirable, yet desolate prison.
In closing, I feel that bad faith is the surrendering of our freedom and will, which are both with us from the time of birth. It takes away from our ability to choose, to better ourselves. It steals so much from us, and for an unfortunate minority, its negative effects go unnoticed. Bad faith and determinism aren�t a way to live; it�s a way of giving up the responsibility that is in every individual � the innate responsibility of all humanity.
1. Sartre, Jean Paul.
Existentialism As A Humanism, 1946.
2. Solomon, Robert C.
The Big Questions, 1982.
