Introduction to Philosophy

Achieve Test Prep: Philosophy

There are times when internal constraints in the form of mental illness or even neuroses can lead to a disturbing factor that hinders the proper functioning of our natural tendencies, and we hold the disease responsible, not the individual. Mental illness is a peculiar internal factor that we tend to externalize. Often the actions of people suffering from neuroses or psychosis are viewed as external (mental illness) rather than internal forces. The truth is though; we all suffer from our strange obsessions and compulsions that limit our choice of freedom. They prevent us from making the decisions that our in our rational self-interest. Compatibilism suggests that we increase our freedom, not only by removing external constraints but by removing or diminishing our internal constraints as well. Instead of freedom being absolute, this line of thinking suggests there are degrees of freedom, and it may be in our self-interest to increase the extent of the level of freedom of which we are capable. Philosopher Daniel Dennett takes on an evolutionary perspective on the human mind. He believes that humans are evolved organisms that lack a spiritual self or immortal soul and that the mind is nothing more than the workings of the brain created through evolution. Dennett believes that human freedom is not an illusion and it is an objective phenomenon distinct from all other biological conditions and found only in one species—us. Indeterminism and Libertarianism The concept of Indeterminism is that events are not predetermined by previous incidents. It is related to chance which is the opposite of determinism. Indeterminists maintain that causes exist which are of a particular type that does not constrain the future. Libertarianism is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as its principal objective. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and freedom of choice, emphasizing political freedom, voluntary association, and the primacy of individual judgment. Both schools of thought believe that at least some human actions are independent and that freedom of choice is a genuine possibility in certain circumstances. Your choice is independent of any external or internal events, and you choose which path to take, and you are responsible for that choice. Indeterminists leave open the possibility that undermined actions are utterly random; further, this viewpoint holds that your actions, or at least some of them, can be made freely. In other words, whichever option you chose, you might still have chosen otherwise. Indeterminists need not admit the existence of free will, which is what the libertarians are committed to. Libertarians are convinced that people can make choices by exercising their free will. Because human freedom is real, Dennett believes that it can be studied and understood objectively from a scientific point of view.

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