Philosophy

Why am I here? Why do I exist? What is life NOT worth living for? What is a waste of a life?

What does God think of Richard Dawkins?

“Why Should I Believe in Anything at All?” by Jeff Robinson

The Euthyphro Dilemma – William Lane Craig

The Euthyphro Dilemma Once More – William Lane Craig

What’s up with Determinism? If Materialism is true (the belief that matter is all that exists), then everything and every actions is nothing more than the movement of chemicals and molecules. If everything that is came from an uncaused Big Bang, then the actions that you and I take are little more than an effect in the long string of causation going back to a beginning of cosmic chaos. But if we do what we do because of the various chemicals of which we are composed, then how can we be morally culpable for our actions? This led the prominent British Philosopher, Robert Blatchford (1851-1943), to conclude the following:

  1. Heredity and environment determine behavior
  2. Hence, rewards and punishments should be abolished
  3. Did not deny that humans make choices
  4. Denied that “all humans are free to somehow rise above heredity and environment” (Voices of Wisdom, 472).

While few argue that one’s environment provides zero influence, an important question must be raised:

Q# Does Proclivity not equal Determinism?

In other words, does one’s environment or heredity determine in an absolute sense that they are bound to follow in the footsteps of those who surround them, for better or for worse? I would argue that proclivity does NOT equal determinism and that one is not chained to live a life of successive, and continual misery as those who surround them. While this issue can be debated along the lines of metaphysics, the ultimate question lies in Cosmology; if materialism is true then free will is an illusion. If materialism is not true then another “realm” or “reality” must also exist, namely a “spiritual” sphere in which a person’s moral compass, guided by the conscience must make the choice between good and evil. Moreover, the downfall of Determinism leads to a re-evaluation of the concept of free will. Inherent within this query is the relation of human depravity to classical libertarian free will.

Will Provine of Cornell University claimed, “If you believe in Darwinism you cannot hope to have free will” (Expelled, Documentary, Ben Stein, 2008).