(Hard)Determinism
Definition, what does it mean for humans and the universe to be deterministic?
Definition, what does it mean for humans and the universe to be deterministic?
A little hard to believe? Your action(reading these words right now) is caused by your disbelief or curiosity about the idea of determinism, which is caused by your action of sitting down in front of my project, etc.
"But, most of us also believe that every effect has a cause, and that everything that happens now, in the present, is the necessary result of events that occurred in the past" (2:08 - 2:16)
So... what is it exactly...?
Hard determinism essentially states that all actions are fixed, since the start of the universe. Everything that happened had to have happened, because everything is cause and effect. There is no choice, the entire future of the universe has been predetermined because every event leads to the next.
Why can't someone believe in both determinism and free will? Is the question so black and white?
By the principle of alternate possibilities(see the page on libertarian free will), someone who believes in free will believes that some of an agent's actions were made freely, meaning they could have done otherwise. They weren't doomed or destined to make that choice. However, determinism(see the page on hard determinism) would state otherwise. Believing in determinism would mean that everything in the future has already been fixed, and can not be changed. Everything is cause and effect, there is no choice. See other pages to explore arguments and stories that utilize both views.