Philosopher
Which philosopher was a prominent advocate of hard determinism, arguing that all human actions are the necessary result of prior causes and that free will is an illusion?
Baron d'Holbach
Compatibilism is the view that:
A) Free will and determinism are completely incompatible; one must be true and the other false.
B) Free will can exist even if the universe is deterministic; the two concepts are not mutually exclusive.
C) The universe is indeterminate, and free will is the result of randomness.
B
What does Jean-Paul Sartre's famous phrase "existence precedes essence" mean?
Humans first exist, and then they define their own essence through their actions and choices.
Hume's view on free will can be best described as:
A) A hard determinist view that free will doesn't exist.
B) A compatibilist view that reconciles freedom and determinism.
C) A libertarian view that emphasizes absolute freedom of the will.
B
Existentialism emphasizes the importance of:
A) Social conformity
B) Objective moral laws
C) Individual freedom and choice
C
He believes that the self is passive, serving only as a vehicle for the interplay of psychic forces that determine one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Baron d'Holbach
A philosophical concept that posits that every event, including human actions and decisions, is the inevitable result of antecedent causes.
Determinism
“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.” Who said that?
Jean-Paul Sartre
Was Daniel Dennet a compatibilist, a determinist or an indeterminist?
Compatibilist
Which philosopher acknowledged that internal factors such as mental illnesses act as obstacles to free will?
Schlick
Which philosopher is often considered the father of existentialism?
A) Søren Kierkegaard
B) Friedrich Nietzsche
C) Jean - Paul Sartre
Kierkegaard
What does PAP stand for? Explain its meaning regarding free will.
Principle of alternate possibilities – action is free if the agent could have done otherwise. (Libertarianism)
"Man always acts according to necessary law".
Baron d'Holbach
In existentialist thought, what is the significance of "angst" or "anxiety"?
It is a natural reaction to the realization of one's freedom and the responsibility that comes with it.
How does Hume reconcile free will and determinism?
For Hume, actions caused by our internal psychological states (like beliefs and intentions) are free, and the fact that they are caused doesn't undermine freedom. We hold people responsible for actions caused by their own characters and motives.
Which philosopher contended that maintaining the reality of free will and personal responsibility is essential for upholding the reality of morality?
Stace
What is Hume's definition of free will?
Free will is the ability to act according to one's own motives and desires.
“Free will means freedom of persons in willing”.
Hobart
What is the difference between Indeterminism and Libertarianism
The libertarian rejects determinism. The position is a form of indeterminism. Indeterminism: the view that not every event is determined - there's an element of chance or randomness.
What were the two ways of viewing the universe proposed by William James?
A universe of actualities (determinism) and a universe of possibilities (indeterminism).
Name at least three existentialist philosophers.
Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Friedrich Nietzsche, Søren Kierkegaard
Define Sartre's "despair".
According to Sartre, despair is the state of recognizing that we can't control external factors but still have to make choices and face an uncertain future.
“Act as if the maxim of your action were to become by your will a universal law of nature.”
Immanuel Kant
What is transcendental freedom?
Transcendental freedom is the idea of an absolute, spontaneous freedom that exists beyond the causal laws of nature.
What three fundamental emotions that define our experience when we discover that we are condemned to be free did Sartre identify?
Anguish, abandonment, and despair.