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| A PHILOSOPHY ESSAY,
JANUARY 2002 |
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| Choices.
Everyday, all of us make numerous choices: when to get up, when to eat,
what
to eat, what to wear, what to do. Or do we? A hard
determinist
may say I had no choice but to eat a cheese steak for lunch. I
was
destined to eat that cheese steak. It was mine from the beginning
of
time. Surely this sounds absurd. I believe the choice was
mine — I
could easily have had a turkey club or a slice of pizza. I firmly
agree
with arguments given for freedom, not determinism. These include
the
arguments of chance/possibility, the part to the whole, and
responsibility
and joy. I disagree with the determinist mechanical and
scientific
models. That first freedom argument of chance and possibility is my favorite, and I think its the best one. Before anyone does something, there are often multiple choices, paths, ways, etc. These pose real possibilities. If I want coffee and there are pots with hazelnut, French vanilla and house blend, then I have three choices, three possibilities. When I decide to have hazelnut and pour it into my mug, there no longer are the possibilities, I've made my choice. But the idea of possibility and freedom goes beyond my morning coffee. More importantly, possibility affects my future. It allowed me to choose to attend Penn State University, and to choose my major in journalism. I can even choose to work hard as I have so far and maintain my high GPA, or I could choose to party more and slack off, and get by with the bare minimum. I could even start shooting heroin and drop out if I really wanted. The possibilities seem endless. And it's these possibilities that make a person who he is, and take him where he goes. If everything were pre-determined, what would be the point of pursuing higher education? Why would I choose to be here attending classes and working hard? If there's a "master plan," I might as well sit back and let my life unfold itself. In that point-of-view life has no meaning. There's no point in doing anything if I don't get somewhere because of it, if I can't mold my own future. I can mold my own future, though. I'm part of a whole universe, but that universe doesn't control me. This brings up the next argument: no part of anything completely controls the whole, and vice versa. I totally agree with this. If I write this reflection, and accidentally leave out a word somewhere, the sentence may be grammatically incorrect. But the paper still exists. It still gets its point across. The words don't vanish. Also, the paper itself doesn't control where all the words go. If it did, I wouldn't be sitting here writing it. It would just be done. So I know the whole doesn't control the part either. The third argument for freedom, also a worthy one, is that of responsibility and joy. A determinist, believing that everything happens for a reason, must believe that someone would murder someone for a reason, not being able to control it. In that case, a third of the United States can be eliminated, because the justice system is no longer needed. Why prosecute someone for murder if it had to happen? Even though it seems often people don't take responsibility for their actions, they're still responsible. Murder isn't just random. Rape isn't just random. Certain individuals make a conscious decision, no matter how twisted, to carry out such vile acts. And they need to be punished accordingly. The joy part of the argument refers to congratulating someone or having sympathy for someone. In the determinist's eyes, there would be no need for congratulations, because the deserving act was supposed to happen. And there would be no need to feel sympathy for a friend who lost a loved one, because it was supposed to happen. It's widely recognized, however, that someone should be congratulated on an outstanding achievement. After all, they earned it through choices they made and making the best of possibilities. Sounds like lots of freedom to me — they way it should be, the way I think it is. If this freedom were a fantasy, as a determinist would think, then let's examine the determinist arguments. The first, the Mechanical Model, says the universe is a machine, and everything in it is a part that has no control or choices, but just follows a set pattern already decided, or pre-determined. If the universe is a giant machine, and has a pre-determined plan for everything that happens within the machine, then the machine can't be altered. But a car is a machine. And a mechanic could replace a car's engine with a more powerful one, hence, altering the machine. Therefore, machines can be altered, and so that model doesn't work. The other model, the Scientific Model, argues that any human is completely bound by all laws of science, including biology, genetics and physics. Although this does partially make sense, it's not a matter of complete control. A person can't help that he's a male or she's a female, or that he has brown hair or green eyes. All laws of science have some degree of control, but people ultimately have control over their actions. Someone is not pre-determined by science to blow his neighbor's head off with a 12-guage shotgun. It's a conscious decision, though a disturbing one, that the individual makes. That goes back to the idea of responsibility and the fact that yes, a justice system is necessary, and yes, people must be held responsible for their actions. Even the things that are affected by scientific laws and occurrences have possibility. If the weather becomes very cold, a person doesn't have to sit outside and freeze to death. He can move south, wear more clothing, or use artificial heating in his house. So things with natural causes can have multiple effects, and the effects can even be chosen. I think overall the debate is very lopsided, and the arguments for freedom are much stronger than those of determinism. I lead my life with the notion that I control my own destiny. There's no plan. Possibilities are endless. Sure, sometimes things happen that are beyond my control, but that should be expected when there are five billion other people making their own choices as well as nature affecting my choices. Some choices influence other choices; crossing paths in such a manner is natural. This doesn't change the fact that it's my life, these are my choices, and I control my own destiny. |
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