INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY-PHILOS 001

Philosophy in Everyday Life

Concept 1: Determinism

Determinism is the view that all events in the universe, including human actions and choices, are inevitable and necessary outcomes of previous causes following natural laws. I got interested is describing this concept in the popular TV show “Lost”, where some characters adamantly believe that their lives unfold according to a predetermined destiny that is impossible to change. In contrast, other characters argue that they still have free will to shape their fate.

The deterministic perspective represented in the show is that, based on past events in the lives of the characters, in conjunction with the natural laws that govern the universe, all future occurrences  every action, decision, coincidence, and eventual fate of the characters – is already set in stone without the possibility of deviations based on human free choice. This narrative exploration of determinism versus free will recalls classic philosophical debates about whether causal determinism eliminates genuine choice and moral responsibility if human behavior stems from a fixed character and set of motivations beyond any individual’s ultimate control.

Concept2: Libertarianism

Libertarianism is the philosophical view that free will is incompatible with hard determinism. In a casual debate with my friend James about the themes concerning free will, fatalism, and determinism portrayed in the film “Arrival.” I used one of the main character James who was arguing the position that in order for human beings to have free will in a meaningful sense indeed that makes us morally responsible agents, our choices and actions cannot be entirely pre-determined by external causal forces beyond our control.

James rejected the idea that all human behavior could be traced back to an unbreakable chain of prior causes, eliminating what we conventionally consider a genuine choice. He was intuitively expressing a perspective aligned with the libertarian view covered in our philosophy class that determinism precludes the genuine ability to choose amongst alternative possibilities essential for free will. I interjected to point out to James how the libertarian school of thought in the free will debate would provide a solid philosophical foundation for his beliefs about free will requiring an open future not bound to a single pre-determined inevitability for moral responsibility to exist.

Concept 3: Mind-body dualism

Mind-body dualism is the philosophical view that the mind is non-physical and ontologically separate from the physical body and brain. I got interested is describing this concept in he song “Soul Meets Body” by Death Cab for Cutie who expresses intuitive dualism in its lyrics:  “I want to live where soul meets body.”

This conveys a sense of an immaterial, experiential soul essence irreducible to physical bodily states. Hearing this prompted me to recall philosophical debates around substance dualism versus physicalist theories like identity theory or functionalism – whether subjective mental states are identical with or reducible to objective material brain states or whether accounting for phenomenal consciousness requires positing an additional mental substance beyond brain activity.

Concept 4: God and science

In the film “God is Not Dead 2,” the central court case depicts clashing views concerning the relationship between science and religion. A key argument made by the devout Christian defenders is that belief in God, divine miracles, and the validity of theological truth claims must not be ruled out a priori by a scientific worldview committed solely to naturalistic explanations of all phenomena. This connects to debates in the philosophy of science regarding methodological naturalism – the stance that for an explanatory account to be adequately deemed scientific, it must refer only to physical causes and never appeal to supernatural agencies.

 The film also touches on perspectives ranging from intrinsic conflict to independence to integration between science and religion. Some posit that science entirely disproves religious assertions by showing them to be mythical thinking without rational grounding. But others argue for compatibility, contending that science reveals the workings of physical secondary causes, while religion provides ultimate meaning, values, and personified grounding. Therefore, film exhibits views of science threatening theological truth versus science harmoniously supplementing faith to together yield fuller comprehension of reality. Underlying assumptions about whether naturalism fully explains or excludes higher cosmic purpose shape positions on this complex issue.

References

 “Arrival Streaming: Where to Watch Movie Online?” JustWatch, 28 Nov. 2023, www.justwatch.com/us/movie/arrival-2016.

Death Cab for Cutie. “Death Cab for Cutie – Soul Meets Body (Video).” YouTube, 11 Aug. 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uizQVriWp8M.

“God’s Not Dead 2 | Full Movie | Movies Anywhere.” Movies Anywhere, 1 Apr. 2016, moviesanywhere.com/movie/gods-not-dead-2.

“Lost – Watch Tv Show Streaming Online.” Just Watch, www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/lost.