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Is metaphysical determinism a widely accepted belief among philosophers?

Erving McClaughlin

Metaphysical determinism is a complex and controversial philosophy that has been debated by philosophers for centuries. The belief suggests that all events are predetermined by a pre-existing chain of cause and effect, meaning that human actions and decisions are not truly free. While some philosophers have embraced this belief, others have challenged it, leading to an ongoing debate about the validity of determinism.

The idea of determinism has its roots in ancient Greek and Judeo-Christian philosophy. The concept was popularly endorsed by thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes and Baruch Spinoza during the Enlightenment period. In their views, determinism was seen as a necessary condition for scientific objectivity and rational inquiry.

However, the determinist view faced sharp criticism from other philosophers who held an opposing view; that humans do have a degree of free will and that the world is not entirely predetermined. This view was famously defended by thinkers such as Immanuel Kant, who believed that determinism was incompatible with the moral freedom that forms the basis of human action.

More recently, the debate around determinism has become increasingly nuanced. Some contemporary philosophers argue that determinism is a useful tool for understanding the material world, while others reject it on the grounds that it is incompatible with concepts like creativity, spontaneity, and free choice.

One reason that metaphysical determinism remains a widely debated belief among philosophers is the difficulty of proving or disproving it. There is no consensus on whether determinism can be reconciled with empirical evidence, leaving philosophers to rely on conceptual arguments and thought experiments.

For example, some philosophers have argued that determinism is incompatible with our moral intuitions, specifically our sense of moral responsibility for our actions. If our actions are predetermined by prior causes, then how can we be held responsible for our choices? Others have responded by suggesting that determinism might actually be necessary for moral responsibility. If our actions are not determined, then perhaps we could not be held responsible for them.

Overall, while determinism is a widely discussed topic among philosophers, it is not necessarily a widely accepted belief. Philosophers continue to grapple with the implications of determinism for human agency, moral responsibility, and our understanding of the natural world, making it an endlessly fascinating and challenging subject to explore in philosophy.