...There are many ways to be in prison within the mind. Many people think just because you are free means your mind is too but some think that the people who are physically in prison are the most free mentally. In order to be completely free in your mind you must understand wisdon and the educated aspect of everything. In “Everyday Use” the mother and sister of Dee are not educated but work in the yard and do house work in order to survive. It allows them to have wisdom about things that a college education cant do. Maggie who is Dee’s younger sister and who has always envied her is growing up with the same wisdom as her mother but has not got an education also. They are prisoned within their own minds because they are uneducated and live like they did when you get beat up for looking a white man in the eyes, so when they talk to a white man they look away like they are ashamed of themselves. Dee has always been different she would look anybody in the eyes because she is educated and is very proud of that but she is missing out on the knowledge that her mother and sister both acquired by working in the yard all of the years. Dee is very smart, pretty, and has a more popular mind set about everything in her life. She never wanted to be in the country but she liked the big city and fancy things while her family was completely opposite. Her mother is proud of the fact she has meat on her bones and can kill and prepare her own meals, but Dee thinks that she is to good for that and...
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...Free will and moral responsibility of the basic argument is a natural place to start. Strawson contradicts the statement “normal adult beings are are responsible for their personality”. Well this statement may have a few angles because it is not the person that made his or her personality that's how they were brought up but a person sure does have the capability of changing the way they are for the better, that which can be put on oneself to be responsible. For example a bullys personality is usually mean, aggressive and they tend to make other people feel lower than them,however if one day the bully realizes his or her mistake and they suddenly start to be a nicer person that is possible, in that case they are changing their personality for the better. It is surely true that “a man must make or have made himself into whatever in good or evil in a moral sense he is to become”. These effects come straight from the persons free choice and will which allowed them to choose which path they want to choose. It doesn't make sense how strawson can believe that it's impossible to have moral responsibility because everyone is brought up either in a good upbringing or bad but as they grow older every person should...
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...strange, rather; the image is completely normal. The vision is normal because these three American citizens have the freedom to walk where they choose, with whom they choose. The word freedom is often overlooked and taken for granted by those who have it. A popular idea of freedom is: “Freedom lets someone do whatever he chooses to do.” Although this thought of freedom is technically correct, the phrase barely scratches the surface of the idea of freedom. Freedom comes from Old English freedom, meaning, "freedom, state of free will; charter, emancipation, deliverance” (Online Etymology Dictionary). Freedom includes possessing the ability to make a choice for one’s self. For example, the Black man walking down the street can choose to leave his two friends to stop and get coffee without being questioned solely because he simply wanted to buy coffee. Maybe it is Election Day and he made up his mind on the candidate best suited to hold a specific office. He is free to venture to his designated voting poll, and in personal privacy, cast his vote in peace because his personal choice of who to vote for is respected. One normally does not think of stopping at Starbucks as a freedom, while voting is considered a major freedom. Freedom does not have to be huge impactful rights, rather all of the small things that make up who Americans are. Freedom is about the right to make decisions based on personal wants. Every American citizen exercises his right to freedom every day. Freedom resides...
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...JUS 301 Criminology Final Writing Assignment Rosilyn Smith 06/03/13 Writing assignment Final In this writing assignment learners are to take a position on what you believe is the root cause of crime today in society. We know there can be numerous causes; however you as the learner must decide, based on theories we covered in class, which theory in your opinion best describes the root causes of crime in society. So, ensure your paper addresses the following: What you believe is the root cause of crime in America and why? Select a theory the correlates to the cause of crime Argue why the theory you selected is the most applicable theory Discuss why critics would not accept your theory and what theory they might suggest is the root cause of crime in America. I believe the root cause of crime in society today is hard determinism and soft determinism. Hard determinism is the belief that crime results from forces beyond the control of the individual. Soft determinism is the belief that human behavior is the result of choices and decisions made within a context of situational constraints and opportunities. Soft determinism is because most criminals are a product of their environment. The criminal groups are the ones up around a lot of crime and illegal acts. The criminal...
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...omnipotent and omnibenevolent then why does evil exist (Sherry)? The problem of evil causes us to look at the traditional characteristics of God and to analytically assess our suppositions about evil itself. If our God is a good, all powerful and just God as many people believe, then why would such a God allow evil to exist? This problem also brings to light questions about what is considered to be evil, whether it is moral evil committed by man or natural evil such as earthquakes, hurricanes and famine (Sherry). There are several arguments that have developed in reaction to the problem of evil that was suggested by David Hume. One such argument which is known as the free will defense claims that evil is solely caused by human beings, who must have the opportunity to choose to do evil if they are to have free will (Sherry). Another argument which was proposed by Richard Swinburne where he claims that natural evil can exist as a means for humans to learn, mature and adapt (Sherry). These theological arguments often include appeals for belief in life after death by not only resisting the urge to do evil deeds will bring rewards in the afterlife but...
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...Roman Sanchez Intro to Philosophy Professor. Connolly 12.10.14 The Four Great Errors Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher who played a major role in contemporary intellectual development. In his work “Twilight of Idols”, Nietzche points out the four great errors which we constantly use to misinterpret reality and create false reasons that we believe show us the world in a more clearer light. The four great errors consist of mistaking cause and effect, false causality, imaginary causes, and the error of free will. Here I will go more into depth on Nietzsche’s four great errors. The first error is mistaking the cause and effect, or in other words mistaking the effect as the cause. An error that is the most recent and yet the most ancient habit of humankind, as Nietzsche says. Nietzsche goes as far as calling it the most dangerous of the four errors and refers to it as “the real corruption of reason.” (Nietzsche qtd. in Classics of Philosophy 1060) (Religion and morality actually use this error in its teachings. Religion and morality follow a similar formula that proceeds as follows: “Do this and that, refrain from this and that – and then you will be happy! And if you don’t…” (Nietzsche qtd. in Classics of Philosophy 1060) It goes on to imply that straying from this ideal would lead to negative consequences. An example of how cause and effect are misconstrued is that man is destroyed by vices such as adultery or alcoholism. If a man who has lost everything but continues...
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...evil and the reasons extreme cases of destruction, as in “The Star” by Arthur C. Clarke to exist in our world or anywhere. There is no denying that evil has a tight grasp around the world we live in. It is this simple fact which defines the problem of evil. However, to understand this problem one must first understand evil itself. Webster’s English Dictionary defines evil as morally objectionable behaviour which causes harm, destruction, or misfortune. That being said, there are two different types of evil, moral and natural evil, each of which having their own unique characteristics. Moral evil, or wickedness, is the pain and suffering which is a direct result brought about from human action. Since humans are free to choose and act as they wish, they are free to choose to do good or they can choose to do evil. Most crimes and sinful act which cause pain and suffering, such as rape, murdered, and war are all considered morally evil acts. The second category of evil is natural evil. Natural evil is the pain and suffering which is a result of the supernatural, a result of Gods power. Earthquakes, hurricanes and tornados are all examples of natural evil. However the question still lies; why is there evil in our world? We are told that there are three characteristics of God; God is all good, all knowing, and all powerful. Surely then God must know of, and see the pain and...
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...To Build a Fire Summary A man travels in the Yukon (in Alaska) on an extremely cold morning with a husky wolf-dog. The cold does not faze the man, a newcomer to the Yukon, who plans to meet his friends by six o'clock at an old claim. As it grows colder, he realizes his unprotected cheekbones will freeze, but he does not pay it much attention. He walks along a creek trail, mindful of the dangerous, concealed springs; even getting wet feet on such a cold day is extremely dangerous. He stops for lunch and builds a fire. The man continues on and, in a seemingly safe spot, falls through the snow and wets himself up to his shins. He curses his luck; starting a fire and drying his foot-gear will delay him at least an hour. His feet and fingers are numb, but he starts the fire. He remembers the old-timer from Sulphur Creek who had warned him that no man should travel in the Klondike alone when the temperature was fifty degrees below zero. The man unties his icy moccasins, but before he can cut the frozen strings on them, clumps of snow from the spruce tree above fall down and snuff out the fire. Though building a fire in the open would have been wiser, it had been easier for the man to take twigs from the spruce tree and drop them directly below on to the fire. Each time he pulled a twig, he had slightly agitated the tree until, at this point, a bough high up had capsized its load of snow. It capsized lower boughs in turn until a small avalanche had blotted out the fire. The man is...
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...A2 Ethics “Freewill is an illusion” Hard determinist John Locke believed “freedom is an illusion” as we appear to have moral choices, but we only think we choose freely because we do not know the causes that lie behind our choices. Free will and the importance of this suggestion are highly negotiated throughout history. Many philosophers hold different views regarding this suggestion “freewill is an illusion” and many are questioned due to this. Locke maintained that all actions have prior causes and humans are not free to act, our acts are determined. Everything we do is caused by something we cannot control. He illustrates his point of view by describing a sleeping man in a locked room, awakening and deciding to remain where he is, not realising the door in the room is locked. The illustration suggests that the man believes that he has a choice but he has no choice at all in reality. Hard determinism can be seen as a pessimistic view as events that have changed history such as the holocaust are seen as predetermined events therefore no one can be held blameworthy as Hitler was determined by prior causes to do as he did. Hitler does not have diminished responsibility, as he didn’t have a mental illness but he may have been in an extreme emotional state, he should be blameworthy for what he did but hard determinists appear to think differently. Does Hitler have diminished responsibility? As it could be suggested...
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...A man who cannot choose ceases to be a man."Anthony Burgess A Clockwork Orange is a novel about moral choice and free will. Alex's story shows what happens when an individual's right to choose is robbed for the good of society. The first and last chapters place Alex in more or less the same physical situation but his ability to exercise free will leads him to diametrically opposite choicesgood versus evil. The phrase, "what's it going to be then, eh?," echoes throughout the book; only at the end of the novel is the moral metamorphosis complete and Alex is finally able to answer the question, and by doing so affirms his freedom of choice. The capacity to choose freely is the attribute that distinguishes humans from robots; thus the possibility of true and heartfelt redemption remains open even to the most hardened criminal. A Clockwork Orange is a parable that reflects the Christian concept of sin followed by redemption. Alex's final and free choice of the good, by leaving behind the violence he had embraced in his youth, brings him to a higher moral level than the forced docility of his conditioning, which severed his ability to choose and grow up. The question, "what's it going to be then, eh," is asked at the beginning of each section of the novel. In the first and third part it is asked by Alex, but in the second part it is asked by the prison chaplain. The answer does not come until the end of the novel when Alex grows up and exercises his ability to choose...
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...him with all these abilities and qualities. But he also made man similar to animals in his carnal desires. And it is for man to choose if he will follow the path of spiritual development and refrain from sin. If he chooses this way, gradually he will be able to achieve perfection and to unite with God. This is the main purpose of man’s life. Creating man in his own image God let man know how much he loves man and what a great importance he places in his creation. So by fulfilling his purpose in life man participates in realization of God’s plan. But if man rejects the way of God, he will no longer be the God’s image or, in other words, he will not be man. The free will and the freedom of choice are two essential concepts here because man has been given the possibility to make a conscious choice. So only by using his free will he should slowly move to the union with his creator. On the other hand, this statement can mean that by creating man in his own image, God opposed him to the rest of the living creatures, as only man has the ability for conscious interpretation of reality, for abstract and...
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...ARGUMENTS AGAINST DETERMINISM: MAN IS FREE, NO MORE, NO LESS INTRODUCTION The issues of Freedom and Determinism have been sensitive issues that have sparked off heated debates throughout history. The question whether man is really free has been a hard nut to crack and as a result of this, many attempts have been made by different individuals from both philosophical and theological point of view in their effort to explain and understand this concept ‘Freedom’. The line of thought that supports the notion of free will is also called libertarianism. DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS Before delving into the argument, it is worthy of note that the terms under discussion be given a definition for a better understanding of the terms. According to Advanced Learners’ Dictionary, determinism is the belief that people are not free to choose what they are like or how they behave because these things are decided by their background, surroundings and other things over which they have no control. It is simply the view that man is not free, that his actions are determined by certain causes. On another note, libertarianism according to the same source is the belief that people should have the freedom to do and think as they like. Freedom is simply man’s capacity to take hand in his own development. Concentrating more on the major object of my argument which is against determinism, the concept freedom was supported by both philosophers and theologians throughout history. On the part of the philosophers...
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...Poem Analysis Essay ENGL 102 B07: Literature and Composition Summer 2011 Linda Vaughn L24421443 June 19, 2011 APA Style Outline I. Introduction A. Thesis II. Body A. Figures of Speech B. Imagery C. Tone IV. Conclusion Introduction Who, at one point or another in their life, has not pleaded with God for some tangible, physical help? Asking Him to take over, prove Himself, so that we can know that He is real and we can give our heart to Him. In the poem “Batter my heart, three-personed God”, written by poet John Donne, the speaker is asking God for exactly that. With his use of metaphors, paradoxes, and alliteration, we can actually feel the speaker’s urgency to be saved. The violent imagery and changes in tone throughout the poem prove just how desperate he is for God to take over control of him. Body The title itself, with the metaphor “Batter my heart”, draws the reader in. It captures the attention and makes one curious as to what will happen next in the poem. It gives the reader an image of destruction to an essential essence of life; for without a heart, we cannot survive. Is he stating that there is no life without God? The title also provides the initial tone of the poem. It gives the reader the impression that the speaker is desperate, vulnerable, and seeks to be violently manipulated. As we move on, we find that the speaker believes in the Holy Trinity, as he is pleading to the “three personed God”. ...
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...Shane Correia The Written Book In the stories of Oedipus Rex and The Adjustment Bureau, the authors present a conflict between fate and freewill that leaves us, the readers, questioning whether or not fate or freewill is what governs us. This leaves the human mind to debate if the choices in our lives are really choices that we have been left free to make on our own or if we are simply provided the illusion of choice by a higher power that controls our destinies. In the film, The Adjustment Bureau, David Norris, who is the main character in the film is told that Elise, the woman he pursues through love, is about to become “one of the most famous dancers in the country, and eventually one of the world’s greatest choreographers. If she stays with [David], she ends up teaching dance to six year olds” (George Nolfi). Not to crush Elise’s dreams and interfere with her bright future, David ends his pursuit of her much in the same way that Oedipus leaves his father, “the man whom Oedipus, long ago, feared so, fled so, in dread of destroying him” (56). Both David and Oedipus leave their loved ones behind to avoid causing harm to them, but through fate, harm comes to them anyways. Elise is emotionally crushed without David in her life, and Oedipus inadvertently kills his own father. Through fate, one can argue that the pain that Elise and Oedipus’ father incur are unavoidable and that the illusion of choice was only granted to David and Oedipus in order to give the appearance...
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...Leslie Jordan April 19, 2010 Paper 5 Does Free Will Exist? The idea of free will has always been a very interesting topic for me to discuss, because there really is no wrong answer of if free will exist or not. No one can provide proof of us having free or not unless they can talk with God and we all know that being able to actually talk to God and he actually respond is considered “crazy”. I believe that if you believe you have free will than you have free will. As children were always told that you can do and be whatever you want as long as you believe so I figure the same rule applies to free will. I am discussing the idea of free will with in the character Billy Pilgrim. The Tralfamadorians live with the knowledge of the fourth dimension, they believe that all moments of time are happening and taking place simultaneously. Because the Tralfamadorians believe that all moments of time have already taken place; they also believe their life path has been predetermined and they have no control over it, therefore causing the aliens not to believe in free will and finding it strange that humans do. According to the Tralfamadorians earthlings are the only species that believe they have free will, humans for some reason think of time as a linear progression. Most humans believe they have control over their lives and their destiny. Billy seems to have no control in his life or any free will at all throughout this novel, his free will is constantly being challenged. In one instance...
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