Philosophy

Philosophy

Please use The Big Questions: A Short Introduction to Philosophy by Solomon, Higgins for in text citations and references, and other scholastic sources are welcome. No Wiki!

The modernist philosopher John Locke argued that human behavior is determined almost entirely by nurture or environment. He argued that humans are born a tabula rasa (Latin for blank slate), and that all knowledge is acquired through experience. In short, an individual’s environments—the home he or she grows up in, the education that he or she receives, and so forth—determine who that individual becomes.
On the other end of the spectrum is genetic determinism—the belief that personality and behavioral traits are formed chiefly by an individual’s DNA, and that environment has very little influence. Studies involving identical twins seem to support the claim that genetics play a large role in behavior because identical twins are usually found to be more similar than fraternal twins or regular siblings.
Address the following questions:
• Most scientists agree that human personality and behavioral traits are shaped by both genetics and environment; but, if you had to choose between genetics and environment, which one do you think plays the largest role? What logic can you use to support your answer? Identify your argument as either empiricist (supported with empirical evidence) or rationalist (supported by reason) and give 3 supporting claims to back up your assertion.
• How does your conclusion affect free will?

Course material:
We are all chained to [fate]…All of us are in custody, the binders as well as the bound…some are chained by office, some by wealth; some weighed down by high birth, some by low; some are subject to another’s tyranny, some to their own; some are confined to one spot by banishment, some by a priesthood. All life is bondage. (Seneca, as cited in Soccio, 1995)
Over 2,000 years ago, the Roman orator and writer Seneca wrote that “All life is bondage. (Seneca, as cited in Soccio, 1995)” Scientists, philosophers, and sociologists still struggle with the following questions: What is freedom? How free is the individual within a society? How much of human behavior is determined by environment and genetics?
Most people believe that they are in control of their own actions. If you received an A on a test, it is because you chose to study hard. You earned that grade and should be given recognition for that achievement. Alternatively, if you got caught shoplifting, you must also recognize that you chose to break the law and have to pay the consequences for that crime. The small choices that you make every day add up to a lifelong trajectory. If you make good choices, are kind to others, and make financially responsible decisions, you expect to have a happy, successful life. If you make bad choices, are rude to others, and waste your money, you will probably have a difficult life. People are in control of how their lives turn out.
Many people also believe in a higher power that watches over them and has a plan for their future. They believe that some things are meant to be, or are fated. How often have you heard the phrase, “Everything happens for a reason?” It is a common belief that there is some kind of predetermined plan for our lives.
But this raises an important question: If our lives are predetermined by God or fate, how much control do we really have over our own choices? If God has already willed that you will get an A on your test, can you really take the credit for it when you do? And conversely, if a man is fated to commit a crime, is it fair to hold him responsible for committing that crime?
In philosophy, this type of debate is usually referred to as free will versus determinism.

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