Are We Free or Determined?

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. An event is determined if it is

a.
the result of antecedent events and would recur if those antecedent conditions recurred.
b.
influenced by other factors.
c.
not governed by the law of causality.
d.
uncaused.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 481

2. Fatalism differs from simple determinism insofar as fatalism asserts

a.
predestination is true.
b.
an event will happen no matter what.
c.
events have causes.
d.
some events have no causes.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 481

3. The problem of freedom and determinism can be formulated as-

a.
how can evil exist if God is good?
b.
humans have no choice.
c.
if every event has a cause, how can human actions (assuming they are events) be free?
d.
all is determined.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 482

4. What is the missing premise in the argument that concludes, “Therefore, either the law of causality is false, or people are not responsible for their actions.”

a.
There is no such thing as human choice.
b.
There is such a thing as human choice.
c.
The law of causality if false.
d.
Human choice is either free, or it is not.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 482

5. For Taylor, deliberation is

a.
about others’ behavior, future events, and requires that I believe the choice is up to me.
b.
about my own behavior, past events, and requires that I believe the choice is up to me.
c.
about my own behavior, future events, and requires that I believe the choice is up to me.
d.
about my own behavior, future things, and requires that I believe the choice has already been decided.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 484

6. According to Taylor, the belief that all actions are caused by a prior event, that voluntary behavior is free, and that one’s own will determines one’s actions is

a.
hard free will.
b.
soft free will.
c.
hard determinism.
d.
soft determinism.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 487

7. Taylor thinks soft determinism is problematic because

a.
it reconciles free will and determinism.
b.
it can only explain moral questions and not scientific questions.
c.
it begs the question of what determines my will.
d.
only God can know what is in the human heart.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 487

8. The “theory of agency” is that

a.
soft determinism is the correct account of human morality.
b.
simple indeterminism is the correct account of human morality.
c.
all human actions are good.
d.
the first cause is responsible for all human failings.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 491-492

9. Hard determinism refers to a position that holds

a.
determinism is hard to understand.
b.
determinism is incompatible with free will and moral responsibility.
c.
simple determinism is false.
d.
a science of human behavior is impossible.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 494

10. According to Blatchford, all human behavior is the result of

a.
biology and physics.
b.
free human choice.
c.
the environment alone.
d.
heredity and environment.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 494

11. Most philosophers agree that free will depends on

a.
continual use to be effective.
b.
the gift of God.
c.
the ability to do other than we have done.
d.
environment and heredity.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 495

12. For Blatchford, an act of free will is

a.
occasionally possible.
b.
a total delusion.
c.
the result of chance.
d.
the only explanation for choice.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 495

13. For Blatchford, the key to the free will/determinism debate is

a.
what causes us to make the choices we do.
b.
whether God exists.
c.
whether morality still makes sense.
d.
whether only human beings are free.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 495

14. For Blatchford, the appearance of free choice

a.
is grounded in fact.
b.
is the result of competition between desires over which we have no control.
c.
is very easy to dispel.
d.
is essential to maintaining social stability.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 497

15. According to Blatchford, why is all praise and blame undeserved?

a.
because God works in mysterious ways
b.
because of fate
c.
because no one can do otherwise than they did
d.
because we all have the power to decide how we want to be treated

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 498

16. Sartre’s brand of libertarianism holds

a.
the human will is free to follow the dictates of the soul.
b.
humans make choices according to their temperament, but such choices are free.
c.
there is a self that determines what choices we make.
d.
humans are radically free to create both themselves and moral value by their choices.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 499

17. “Existence precedes essence,” means that

a.
there is a predetermined human nature.
b.
human life is a product of heredity and environment.
c.
first humans exist, then they define themselves by the choices they make.
d.
we are created in the image of God.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 500-501

18. The first principle of existentialism is

a.
we are not alone.
b.
we are nothing else than what we make of ourselves.
c.
we are alone in the world.
d.
despair.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 501

19. Why does it follow, according to Sartre, that in choosing what I will do, I choose for all humans?

a.
To choose anything is to choose what we are determined to choose.
b.
I choose what I value and to value something is to universalize it.
c.
My choice is purely personal and subjective and has nothing to do with anyone else.
d.
God sets forth moral standards we all must follow.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 501

20. Anguish, according to Sartre, arises from

a.
doing what has the greatest utility.
b.
our recognition of clear and objective standards of good and evil.
c.
our deep and total responsibility.
d.
our knowledge that we do not deserve blame or praise.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 502

21. Sartre writes that man is condemned to be free “because, once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. The existentialist does not believe in the power of passion. He will never agree that a sweeping passion is a ravaging torrent which fatally leads a man to certain acts and is therefore an excuse. He thinks that man is responsible for his passion.” This passage indicates that Sartre holds

a.
humans are not free because they are thrown into the world against their will.
b.
humans are free, but their freedom is limited by their passions.
c.
humans are free to act even contrary to their passions.
d.
what humans do is caused by what they feel.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 503

22. According to Sartre, freedom is a kind of condemnation because

a.
it strikes fear in us to realize there is no moral foundation other than our choice.
b.
God created us free to test us.
c.
God’s rules establish what is right and wrong, but we are free to do otherwise.
d.
the natural order determines what is right no matter what we want.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 503

23. According to Sartre, we should become socially and politically involved even after we realize there is no foundation to morality other that what we choose because

a.
quietism is preferable to activism.
b.
if we venture nothing, we gain nothing.
c.
the gods help those who help themselves.
d.
we can trust other humans to carry on the good fight even after we die.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 505

24. Which of the following statements would be endorsed by Sartre’s brand of existentialism?

a.
Humans are nothing more than the ensemble of their acts.
b.
Human choice is a product of temperament and training.
c.
Humans are the products of natural laws.
d.
Humans are made in the image of God.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 506

25. The best way to express the law of karma is

a.
what you sow, so shall you reap.
b.
God will reward or punish you according to what you do.
c.
what you do now is predestined by what you once did.
d.
fate rules all.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 507

26. According to Radhakrishnan, karma has ____ and ____ aspects.

a.
reward / punishment
b.
hedonistic / juridical
c.
retrospective / prospective
d.
pleasure / pain

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 509

27. Consider this argument: “Self-determination is not really freedom because whether the cause of an action comes from within the self or outside of it makes no difference. The elements that make up the self are determined by a long history of evolution and are inherited from the past.” This argument presupposes that

a.
the self does not exist.
b.
the self is not distinct from the parts that make it up.
c.
the self is distinct from the parts that make it up.
d.
self-determination does not mean determination by any fragment of the self’s nature but by the self itself.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 509

28. Radhakrishnan defines freedom of the will as

a.
voluntary choice unrestrained by external forces.
b.
choices determined by past karma.
c.
actions caused by parts of our personality or character.
d.
actions done by the whole self.

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 510

29. One problem with Radhakrishnan’s claim that “choice is the assertion of freedom over necessity” is

a.
it assumes that what is necessary cannot be changed.
b.
it appears contradictory since it implies that what cannot be changed (necessity) can be changed.
c.
it assumes that sheer necessity can be found in nature.
d.
it seems to rule out the possibility of free choice.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 510

30. In the analogy with a game of bridge which Radhakrishnan uses, the cards are

a.
determined by the past.
b.
the agent or self who acts.
c.
the law of karma.
d.
God.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 510

31. If, in Radhakrishnan’s analogy with a game of bridge, the player is free to play the cards as he or she decides, given the rules of the game and given the cards dealt, then the player must be

a.
not entirely the effect of past actions.
b.
entirely the effect of past actions.
c.
totally continuous with the past.
d.
not the cause of future events.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 510

32. Radhakrishnan defines choice as

a.
an illusion.
b.
having absolute freedom.
c.
the assertion of freedom over necessity.
d.
the assertion of necessity over freedom.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 510

33. Radhakrishnan writes, “Faith in Karma induces in us the mood of true justice or charity which is the essence of spirituality.” It does this, according to Radhakrishnan, because

a.
we realize how powerful humans are.
b.
we realize how much freedom humans have.
c.
we realize how infinitely helpless and frail human beings are.
d.
we realize how truly sinful, intentionally wicked, and perverse people are.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 511

34. Soft determinism and hard determinism differ in that

a.
one rejects indeterminism (the position that some events are uncaused) and the other does not.
b.
one accepts determinism and the other rejects it.
c.
one believes determinism is compatible with free will and the other does not.
d.
soft determinists reject compatibilism, but hard determinists do not.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 512

35. Compatibilists define a free event as

a.
voluntary.
b.
involuntary.
c.
uncaused.
d.
necessitated.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 512

36. According to Holmstrom, what is the problem with traditional soft determinism saying that actions are free if they come from a person’s beliefs and desires?

a.
It does not tell us enough about the kinds of beliefs and desires that people have.
b.
People sometimes act because they are coerced to perform the action.
c.
If beliefs and desires are cause, then the actions cannot be free.
d.
Some beliefs and desires cause people to do evil things.

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 513

37. In relation to Holmstrom’s example of a heroin addict, second-order determinism reveals what?

a.
Heroin addicts freely choose to act.
b.
A person can will that she not be addicted to heroin, but still be compelled to use heroin.
c.
Heroin addicts are forced to become heroin addicts.
d.
We cannot know what is going on in the mind of heroin addicts.

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 515

38. Which of the following is NOT a condition that Holmstrom gives for saying that someone is a self-determining person?

a.
Actions are in harmony with first order and second order desires
b.
Actions have not been coercively acquired
c.
Actions are in harmony with an integrated set of desires and beliefs at that given time.
d.
They must not be contrary to the person’s second order volitions.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 519

39. The objection to Holmstrom’s position is that:

a.
Her argument leads to an infinite regress of causes of desires and beliefs.
b.
She underestimates people’s social and political freedom.
c.
Second-order volitions can never be controlled.
d.
People cannot be held responsible for beliefs they do not choose.

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 519-521

TRUE/FALSE

1. The dilemma of freedom and determinism appears to leave us with the choice of denying the law of causality or denying people are responsible for what they do.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 482

2. How we deliberate depends on whether or not we feel that we believe we are free or determined.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 483

3. Something is up to me if I believe that each of the choices before me are possible.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 485

4. Blatchford explains a person’s hesitation between two choices as a conflict between temperament and training.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 496

5. According to Blatchford, everyone but the insane should be held responsible for their behavior.

a. True

b. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 498

6. In each of Blatchford’s examples, he appeals to heredity and environment to explain the hypothetical behavior in question.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 498

7. In each of Blatchford’s examples, he appeals to heredity and environment to explain the hypothetical behavior in question.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 498

8. Forlornness means, according to Sartre, that humans feel they are not alone, but can rely on the help and aid of forces more powerful than themselves.

a. True

b. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 502

9. Despair is the feeling we get, according to Sartre, when we realize that God is going to send us to hell.

a. True

b. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 505

10. The law of karma is an expression of the confidence that the universe is just.

a. True

b. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 507

11. Soft determinists believe that moral responsibility does not exist.