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Philosophers Who Support Determinism​

Determinism is the philosophical view that all events, including human actions, are determined by preceding causes and natural laws. This perspective has been supported by various philosophers across different historical periods, from ancient times to modern debates in metaphysics and free will.

Below are some of the most influential philosophers who have defended determinism in various forms:

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Ancient and Classical Determinists​

Democritus (c. 460–370 BCE) – The Atomist View​

Key Idea: Materialistic Determinism
Argument: Democritus, an early Greek philosopher, proposed that everything in the universe, including human thought and action, is composed of atoms moving according to strict physical laws. Since human decisions arise from physical interactions of atoms, free will is an illusion.

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The Stoics (3rd Century BCE – 2nd Century CE) – Fate and Natural Order​

Key Idea: Logical and Cosmic Determinism
Argument: Stoic philosophers like Chrysippus argued that everything happens according to divine reason or logos, a rational principle governing the cosmos. Even human choices are determined by this universal order, making free will a misunderstanding of necessity.

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Medieval and Early Modern Determinists​

Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677) – Necessitarianism​

Key Idea: God and Nature as a Single Determined System
Argument: Spinoza’s metaphysics denies free will entirely. He argued that humans, like everything else, are determined by the necessary order of nature. According to Spinoza, free will is an illusion because our choices are caused by prior conditions, extending all the way back to the nature of existence itself.

Quote:
"Men think themselves free because they are conscious of their actions but ignorant of the causes by which they are determined."

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Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749–1827) – Laplacian Determinism​

Key Idea: Causal and Scientific Determinism
Argument: Laplace applied determinism to physics, proposing that if someone (often referred to as Laplace’s Demon) knew the exact state of every atom in the universe, they could predict every future event. This suggests that free will is merely a byproduct of human ignorance of causal chains.

Quote:
"We may regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its past and the cause of its future."

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19th and 20th Century Scientific and Philosophical Determinists​

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) – Psychological Determinism​

Key Idea: "Man can do what he wills, but he cannot will what he wills."
Argument: Schopenhauer argued that human actions are determined by character and external influences. While people feel like they make free choices, those choices are dictated by their inherent psychological nature and past experiences.

Quote:
"A man can surely do what he wants to do. But he cannot determine what he wants."

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Karl Marx (1818–1883) – Economic Determinism​

Key Idea: Historical Materialism and Social Determinism
Argument: Marx viewed human behavior as determined by socio-economic conditions. People's beliefs, ideologies, and choices are shaped by economic structures and class relations, meaning individual freedom is constrained by historical and material conditions.

Quote:
"It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but their social being that determines their consciousness."

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Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) – Psychological Determinism​

Key Idea: Unconscious Drives Determine Behavior
Argument: Freud suggested that human thoughts and behaviors are determined by unconscious psychological forces, childhood experiences, and repressed desires. Thus, free will is an illusion since individuals are largely unaware of the true causes of their actions.

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B.F. Skinner (1904–1990) – Behaviorism and Environmental Determinism​

Key Idea: Behavior is a Product of Conditioning
Argument: Skinner argued that human actions are entirely shaped by reinforcement and conditioning. Since behavior is a response to external stimuli, free will is merely an illusion created by the complexity of environmental influences.

Quote:
"A person does not act upon the world, the world acts upon him."

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21st Century and Contemporary Determinists​

Sam Harris (1967–Present) – Neuroscientific Determinism​

Key Idea: Free Will is an Illusion Based on Neuroscience
Argument: Sam Harris argues that neuroscientific research shows our brain makes decisions before we are consciously aware of them. Since our thoughts and choices emerge from prior brain states and biological processes, we do not have genuine free will.

Quote:
"Free will is an illusion. Our wills are simply not of our own making."

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Determinism in Science and Physics (Einstein, Hawking, etc.)​

Key Idea: Physical Laws Govern Everything
Argument: Albert Einstein believed that the universe operates under strict causal laws, leaving no room for free will. Similarly, Stephen Hawking suggested that everything, including human behavior, is governed by physical and mathematical principles.

Einstein's Quote:
"Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control."

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Final Thoughts: Is Determinism the Ultimate Truth?​

Determinism remains one of the most debated topics in philosophy and science. While many philosophers and scientists argue for determinism, others support compatibilism (which tries to reconcile determinism and free will) or libertarian free will (which argues for genuine choice and agency).

However, what remains clear is that determinism has shaped our understanding of human behavior, consciousness, and the nature of reality itself!

What do you think? Do we truly have free will, or is everything already determined?

1. Baruch Spinoza: Spinoza believed in a deterministic universe where everything that happens is pre-determined and follows a set of universal laws.

2. Arthur Schopenhauer: Schopenhauer believed that everything that happens is determined by the laws of nature and that free will is an illusion.

3. Immanuel Kant: Kant believed that all events were determined by the laws of nature and causality, although he also argued that humans had a certain amount of moral autonomy.

4. Thomas Hobbes: Hobbes proposed a deterministic theory of human behavior and believed that all human actions were ultimately determined by their natural instincts and desires.

5. David Hume: Hume believed that everything that happens is determined by cause and effect and that there is no room for free will in a deterministic universe.

6. John Stuart Mill: Mill believed in a deterministic universe and argued that everything that happens is ultimately the result of physical laws and natural processes.

7. Carl Gustav Jung: Jung believed in a deterministic universe and argued that human behavior was ultimately driven by unconscious forces and archetypes.

1. Baruch Spinoza
2. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
3. Immanuel Kant
4. Arthur Schopenhauer
5. Friedrich Nietzsche
6. Bertrand Russell
7. Albert Einstein
8. John Stuart Mill
9. Henri Bergson
10. Pierre-Simon Laplace.

There are several philosophers who have supported or advocated for determinism. Here are a few notable examples:

1. Baruch Spinoza: Spinoza argued for a deterministic worldview in his work "Ethics." He believed that everything in the universe, including human thoughts and actions, is determined by cause and effect.

2. Thomas Hobbes: Hobbes was a proponent of determinism and argued that human behavior is determined by physical and psychological factors. He also believed that the functioning of the universe is governed by mechanistic laws.

3. Pierre-Simon Laplace: Laplace was a French mathematician and philosopher who famously advocated for scientific determinism. He argued that if someone possessed complete knowledge of the positions and velocities of every particle in the universe, they could accurately predict all future events.

4. Ludwig Wittgenstein: Wittgenstein, in his later philosophy, expressed a deterministic view of language and meaning. He argued that language and thought are shaped by social and cultural influences, leaving little room for free will.

5. Daniel Dennett: Although Dennett allows for a degree of indeterminism in the universe, he supports a type of determinism known as "compatibilism." According to Dennett, determinism does not necessarily conflict with free will, as long as individuals have the power to make choices and act upon them.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, and there are many other philosophers who have argued for determinism to varying degrees.

Some philosophers who support determinism include:

1. Baruch Spinoza: A Dutch philosopher who argued for a deterministic worldview based on his pantheistic belief in the unity of nature and God.

2. Pierre-Simon Laplace: A French mathematician and philosopher who famously claimed that if someone knew the exact positions and velocities of every particle in the universe, they could predict future events with utmost accuracy. This idea is known as the "Laplace's demon" and is often associated with determinism.

3. Thomas Hobbes: An English philosopher who argued for determinism based on his materialist view that human behavior can be explained in mechanistic terms, with desires and appetites being the driving factors.

4. Friedrich Nietzsche: While Nietzsche did not explicitly advocate for determinism, his concept of an eternal recurrence suggests a deterministic worldview, with the idea that all events in the universe will recur endlessly.

5. Immanuel Kant: Although Kant is often associated with a belief in free will, he also acknowledged a form of compatibilism, or the idea that determinism and free will can coexist. While he argued that everything in the phenomenal world is determined, he also claimed there is a realm of noumena where freedom exists.

It's important to note that determinism is a complex and nuanced topic, and philosophers often have different interpretations and variations of the concept. The ones mentioned here represent a range of perspectives on determinism.

Determinism is the philosophical belief that every event and action in the universe is predetermined by previous causes. Many philosophers throughout history have championed determinism as a guiding principle for understanding the world and our place in it. Here are some of the most notable philosophers who support determinism:

1. Baruch Spinoza: This seventeenth-century Dutch philosopher believed that everything in the universe is interconnected and that every event is caused by a previous one. According to Spinoza, there is no such thing as free will, as all human actions are predetermined by external forces.

2. Arthur Schopenhauer: This nineteenth-century German philosopher believed that everything in the universe is connected by a universal "will." Schopenhauer saw our individual selves as mere manifestations of this will, and that all events in our lives are predetermined by this force.

3. Friedrich Nietzsche: Although Nietzsche was not a strict determinist, he believed that much of human behavior and experience is determined by biological and environmental factors beyond our control. He saw free will as an illusion and believed that we must accept our predetermined fate if we are to live courageously.

4. Albert Einstein: The famous physicist was also a determinist, believing that the laws of physics dictate every event in the universe. According to Einstein, the universe is a vast machine wherein everything is predetermined.

5. Daniel Dennett: This modern-day philosopher argues for a form of determinism called "compatibilism," which posits that determinism and free will can coexist. Dennett sees human behavior as determined by factors such as biology, genetics, and environment, but also that we have the ability to make meaningful choices within those confines.

While determinism remains a contentious topic in philosophy, these philosophers offer compelling reasons to consider the idea that our lives are predestined by forces beyond our control. Whether we can truly exercise free will in such a world remains an open question, but contemplating the possibilities can lead us to deeper understanding of ourselves and the workings of the universe.