Download Hard Determinism Hard determinism is the belief that we are entirely

Hard Determinism
Hard determinism is the belief that we are entirely controlled by external forces and that free will
doesn’t exist. Hard determinists believe that we cannot be held morally accountable for our actions,
as it is not us, but our upbringing, genetics, and other external forces that decide for us in situations.
Clarence Darrow, a lawyer in a murder trial in Ohio, defended two murderers with the argument
that their parents, their affluent lifestyle, their education and their interests led them to murder, an
outcome predetermined by those factors. Ted Honderich is another hard determinist who believes
instead that every event is determined by the consequences of the last, and human beings aren’t
responsible for their actions as what we do is only another part of a constant chain of events.
Soft Determinism
Soft determinism is known as compatibilism because it bridges the main ideas of libertarianism and
hard determinism: you have free will within determined situations. Our actions are controlled by
external forces to an extent, but we are still able to be held accountable for those actions. John
Locke, a famous soft determinist, thought that human beings develop morality throughout their
lives, with the mind initially being a blank slate (tabula rasa) for experiences to ‘write’ on in order to
create a moral framework. These experiences are determined by nature, however within natural
constraints a person chooses their experiences available. Another famous soft determinist, David
Hume, argued that events are determined because of a consequentialist causal link between objects.
These links, which are predetermined, allows human free will to occur, in the response to situations
and events.
Libertarianism
Libertarianism is the belief that human beings have total free will, and that we are 100% responsible
for our actions. Thomas Reid developed the idea of common sense philosophy, where free will is
subject based. This means we have the freedom to choose and the freedom to follow through with
that choice, in spite of the limits nature sets. Freedom allows people to develop and be morally
responsible for our actions.