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Freedom is Not Compatible with Determinism
Student’s Name:
Institution:
Course:
Date:
, 2
Freedom is Not Compatible with Determinism
Summary
In the reading "Freedom is not compatible with Determinism," Christopher Evan
Franklin's central thesis and argument is to show that freedom is not compatible with
determinism, contrary to the opinion and arguments of philosophers who state that freedom and
determinism are compatible. Franklin explains in depth the concepts of freedom, moral
responsibility, and determinism and shows how they are incompatible. Franklin's line of
reasoning is that even though freedom and determinism are powerful concepts, they are false
philosophical theses that do not hold in the real world. He concludes that freedom is not
compatible with determinism and that freewill exist where people can make autonomous
decisions that are not determined by laws of nature and the past and there is moral responsibility
to people who do immoral actions or fails to keep promises.
According to Franklin (2018), moral responsibility refers to the concept that a person who
has done a morally wrong action deserves blame in various forms, including being rebuked,
sanctioned, and other emotional blame. Frankling further argues that it is appropriate to blame
people even when they don't deserve it. He gives various examples that support his argument,
including verbally rebuking a child to protect them from danger and harm and punishing them to
teach them essential life lessons and build their character. The concept of moral responsibility
applies to people who deserve the blame simply not because it will lead to good consequences
but because of the horrific action they did, such as murder, stealing, or rape.
In addition, Franklin defines freedom as the nature of control needed for it to be fair or
just to blame others when they do an immoral action. Franklin gives examples to show the
connection between freedom and responsibility. In the example of Sam, he is more blameworthy
Freedom is Not Compatible with Determinism
Student’s Name:
Institution:
Course:
Date:
, 2
Freedom is Not Compatible with Determinism
Summary
In the reading "Freedom is not compatible with Determinism," Christopher Evan
Franklin's central thesis and argument is to show that freedom is not compatible with
determinism, contrary to the opinion and arguments of philosophers who state that freedom and
determinism are compatible. Franklin explains in depth the concepts of freedom, moral
responsibility, and determinism and shows how they are incompatible. Franklin's line of
reasoning is that even though freedom and determinism are powerful concepts, they are false
philosophical theses that do not hold in the real world. He concludes that freedom is not
compatible with determinism and that freewill exist where people can make autonomous
decisions that are not determined by laws of nature and the past and there is moral responsibility
to people who do immoral actions or fails to keep promises.
According to Franklin (2018), moral responsibility refers to the concept that a person who
has done a morally wrong action deserves blame in various forms, including being rebuked,
sanctioned, and other emotional blame. Frankling further argues that it is appropriate to blame
people even when they don't deserve it. He gives various examples that support his argument,
including verbally rebuking a child to protect them from danger and harm and punishing them to
teach them essential life lessons and build their character. The concept of moral responsibility
applies to people who deserve the blame simply not because it will lead to good consequences
but because of the horrific action they did, such as murder, stealing, or rape.
In addition, Franklin defines freedom as the nature of control needed for it to be fair or
just to blame others when they do an immoral action. Franklin gives examples to show the
connection between freedom and responsibility. In the example of Sam, he is more blameworthy
