Keeping in mind the class discussion on social norms and cultural roles and expectations, how much freedom do we really have in our choices/behavior. Please be sure to defend your position.
Position Paper #9 Freedom I feel that we do have as much freedom as we choose to have, short of breaking the law that is. I agree that the social norms and culture roles could hinder or prevent certain actions by most individuals, however, there are people out there that live to be different and purposefully look for every opportunity to shock people. For instance, the cat-man, Dennis Anver. He admits that he wants and welcomes the disapproving stares of the people that pass him everyday on the street. He is a man that is literally transforming himself into a tiger. He has had whiskers implanted in his cheeks, his upper lip split to resemble that of a cat, his whole body (face included) is tattooed with tiger stripes, he has green cat-eye slit contacts, has had facial implants in his upper lip and forehead, had his nose flattened, had his teeth filed down into fangs, and is seeking a fur graft and to have an animatronics tail implanted into his sacrum that will move when his muscles contract. As far as his behavior is concerned, he eats raw meat everyday like a tiger would. I would say that he is living proof that one can choose to go against social norms and cultural expectations demonstrating just how much freedom he has. Another similar such case would be that of the lizard man. He has had his tongue split, tattoos of scales allover his face and body, and facial implants. He is another example of just how much freedom we are allotted in the breech of social norm department. And what about the Goth kids in high school that like to dress and act like vampires? Or the ones that run around with pink or blue hair? They are usually thought to be violating social norms, at least we were at my school. And as far as the behavioral expectations go, again, I feel we have as much freedom as we want within the limits of the law. I had a friend that WOULD go stand right next to people in an empty elevator because she liked to mess with people, to see what their reactions would be. I myself, never liked to make other people uncomfortable so I would follow the norms….but I have friends that chose not to, just for the fun of it!
Position Paper # 9 How much freedom do we really have in our choice/behavior?
How free are we to choose our own actions and destiny? In our classroom discussion, I believe that the major consensus was that we do have a certain freedom of choice. We discussed the fact that there are social norms in place that constrain our behavior. The question was raised; Are these constraints compulsory, due to genetics, predestination or other factors, or can we truly choose our own destiny in spite of these factors?
I agree with the statement that David Hume purports regarding determinism. “He suggested that not only is freedom of choice and action possible within the framework of determinism, but determinism is even necessary if we are to make sense out of the notion of freedom of choice and responsibility.” 1
David Hume was considered to be a “Soft Determinist”. I identify with this position in that the Soft Determinist takes the position that a person’s actions “flow from ones character or disposition.”1 A strict Determinist position holds that everything that happens is determined according to the laws of nature…including human action. I believe that we can prove that there are laws of nature set in place that govern how things work, for example the laws of Thermodynamics. Where I part with “Hard Determinism” is the position that humans are also governed by laws of nature and therefore do not have a free will to choose.
While I believe in the sovereignty of God, I do not hold to the position of predestination. God created us to have a free will. He has left us a Record of many people in history that made choices and recorded the results of those choices. What philosophers and theologians have argued throughout history is whether God manipulates people’s decisions, as in the position of predestination, or does He allow people the free will to choose, being so omnipotent that He can construct events to fulfill His will, incorporating the free-will choices that people make.
A good example of the later position is the record of the Israelite, Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers. Their choice was to get rid of him. Joseph’s choice was to trust God and the vision that He gave him. Through this situation, and Joseph’s choices, Joseph became second in command in Egypt. During one of the greatest famines recorded in history, Joseph took care of his family and subsequently the Israelites were spared. Joseph’s statement to his brothers in the end was; “But as for you, ye thought evil against me: but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive”.2
The discussion that we had in class eluded to the fact that we do have a free will to make choices daily, and I believe that those choices take us on our destiny in life.
Sources:
1 Introducing Philosophy, Ninth edition, by Robert C. Solomon., 2008 2 KJV Bible, Genesis 50:20
I feel that we do not have free will. We have all these social constraints that prohibit us to be ourselves. There are certain behaviors that are expected from us whether it is at work, school, and family or in society as a whole. For example say a nudist wants to take a stroll on Mill Ave., in the nude of course, he would immediately the police called on him and sent to jail of indecent exposure and who know what else. Our live are run by rules and laws that control the way we think, and manipulate the way we act. How can any one be really free if there is always someone or something prohibiting us to do what we please? Some might argue that we can choice not follow the rules and do as “we will” but once that person is punished for straying from the norm that person, will most likely not stray and do as everyone else does. As Baron Paul D’ Holbach stated in System of Nature, “he is born without his own consent; his organizations does in nowise depend upon himself; his ideas come to him involuntarily…” Since the time that we are born we are being told and how to behave, what to say and how to be. So how we can possibly have free to be ourselves if we were never given the opportunity to be that person? We have too many rules and expectations to truly be free. Our social norms dictate where to stand in an elevator and how to speak to others, our society has many laws to keep us all in order and religion dictates how you should think and what to believe in. These constraints keep most of us from doing as we will, eliminating our free will.
Keeping in mind the class discussion on social norms and cultural roles and expectations, How much freedom do we really have in our choices or behavior. (defend your position) My belief is that we have a good amount of freedom for what we do. As a person we make the decision to act as we choose to act. There are consequences to any person’s actions whether good or bad. If you choose to let’s say do something like hit your mother. The consequence is that your family will be upset with you and maybe disown you for your behavior. You could also have the consequence of facing some sort of legal issue of assault. Which means now you have to go to court as well, possibly get an attorney and defend your behavior? In the process of all of this you have now lost your support system reference family members. Now you also have a criminal record reference the assault, which might affect your financial livelihood. The criminal record might decide whether or not you could keep your current employment. You have also lost the trust of your mother who perhaps holds the highest regards for who you are as a person. So let’s say that during all of this you also have a family, well now your wife and children have seen that you hit your mother. Perhaps this will cause your wife to be afraid of you and to also lose some respect for you. The action might even show to your children that it is acceptable behavior to hit their mother. So now you decide is a person free to make decisions. Social norm basically says that you are now going to be held accountable one way or the other for your behavior. And in all honesty it is also not socially acceptable to hit your mother or to hit anyone for that matter. My belief is really summed up by Baron Paul Henri D’Holbach’s writing on the System of Nature. He goes into a whole system about how a person’s behavior is connected to universal nature. “He is born without his own consent; his organization does in nowise depend upon himself;……..whether visible or concealed, over which he has no control,…etc.” “In short, the actions of man are never free; …….which he has formed to himself of happiness; of his opinions, strengthened by example, by education, and by daily experience.” D’Holbach basically breaks down a person’s way of thinking in terms that a person can understand. From birth to well really death a person’s choices are really controlled by society, cultures and the law. D’Holbach also said, “man, then, is not a free agent in any one instant of life; he is necessarily guided in each step by those advantages, whether real or fictitious, that he attaches to the objects by which his passions are roused…..etc..” So in short we are not free we are conditioned to be and act a certain way by our culture, upbringing, society, religion, and what would make us look “off” in the real world. But, we are free to make the decision to stick with that lifestyle.
This is a difficult question for me to side with. I do believe that our biology does make up a large part of behaviors. The natural instincts of survival that have gotten humans this far, and the studies that have shown how humans respond to one another. However, I would have to say that most of us have freedom of choice and behavior. What leads me to believe this is most of us are able to change our behaviors. We have all done something in our lives that we weren’t supposed to, but most of us don’t keep repeating the same thing over again. Humans have the power to change their behaviors. There are some things we have no control of, but how we respond to them is our choice. For instance, children that have grown up in poverty, domestic violence, and parents whom suffer from substance abuse, don’t always turn out repeating the same lifestyle when they grow up. On the reverse side, children that grow up with a privileged life, have loving families, and had good examples to learn from, can lead a life of crime and drug use. There are many outside factors that shape our choices and behaviors, but in the end it is up to us to decide what we are going to do. When it comes to following social norms, most people do. However, if a person moves to a different culture, those norms will change. We may adopt some of them, but still keep the ones we are use to. I think the older we get and the more educated we become there is more tolerance of different social norms. Especially living in a country that is so diverse, we accept other cultures differences, (at least some of us choose to). It is expected to follow the rules of where ever a person is, and by not doing so they must be responsible for their actions. Most people accept that, which leads them to follow the norms that are acceptable. If we all accepted the fact that no one had freedom of choice, and no one was responsible for their actions, I wonder how many “good” people there would still be? In my opinion, many of us would like to believe it wouldn’t change who we are, but we have all witnessed what happens to people when there is no order to control them. When people think there will be no consequences, they try to get away with as much as possible.
In my opinion, we have all the freedom that we choose to have. But it is all limited to laws and regulations. We have a freedom to express ourselves but to a certain extent. We have freedom as a privilege not a right and compared to other countries, we have it easy. With good behavior we earn freedom. Other countries limit the way you talk, dress, and vote. Even the type of religion, they control. I don't see nothing wrong with people having freedom. But when they cross that line and start harming innocent people, I totally agree that their "freedom" should be taken away. With the people that commit a crime and then plea insanity. I think they should also have their freedom taken away. The fact of just thinkig about something like that should deserve their freedom taken away as well.
This is a difficult question because it has made me think if we do have freedom when we make our choices. I believe that we do because everyone is different and they will make different choices. Even though we are influenced by our society, especially by our parents, we still have a little tiny bit of freedom where we can decide on the matter. As we discussed in class, we observe how people do their everyday activities and if we don’t do as they do, we can tell right away by the way that they look at you. But we decide if we want to keep doing it or if we want to blend in with everyone else. If we didn’t have freedom in what we did, then why would people decide to kill when they have had good role models in their live? Since everyone is different, we decide how we are going to make our decisions. If we didn’t have any freedom, then why are there some people that make right choices and others who make bad ones? We determine on how to make our decisions, by the way that we were raised and how we observe as grow up, especially when we are in school. When we are in school that has a big impact on our decisions and the friends we hang out with. If we hang out with people that will do things and don’t care what will happen, then we are going to be those people that are facing the elevator the wrong way. I believe that we do have free will, but we know that if we do something we know what the consequence will be and that’s how we decide if we want to do it or not.
Are any of us really free? I want to say that we are free to make our own choices or change our past behaviors because if we aren’t free it seems pointless to try to better one’s self at all. Even though I want to say we are all free, I can’t disagree with the idea that society ostracizes people that are outside of social norms. There is pressure from the time one is just a child to “fit in”. If we were not such social creatures, longing to be loved and admired, it would be much easier to ignore the social pressure to conform to norms. I think that if we care what other people think at all, it does limit our choices. Many years ago I took a one-night class about self-defense. It was supposed to teach us how to keep from becoming a victim. One of the things I still remember from that class was the male police officer saying that most girls and women are easily victimized because they are taught from a young age to be quiet and to behave like a lady. He said that there have been times when female victims could have saved themselves if they were just willing to scream and make a total scene in a public place. He said other women have scared predators away by acting crazy or weird. The desire to “fit in” is so great that I bet that even though some women have taken these classes and know this information, they still are not willing to scream in a public place just because some one might be after them. Now that I have acknowledged that at times our choices may be limited, I can say that I really believe that ultimately we make our own choices and decisions. It is unacceptable to me to believe otherwise. If social pressures and expectations can compel any of our actions, then what is stopping those things from controlling all of our actions? If people’s actions are decided by something other than them how can we hold any one responsible for any thing, even murder. I realize that people that believe in determinism would say that it is “unlikely that there are uncaused events” and that we have no model for how the world would work if that were true. I would agree with those people as far as natural laws are concerned, but I would agree with the philosopher Kant that there are two different ways of looking at the world. My philosophy textbook says:
Kant says that we adopt two different standpoints toward the world, one theoretical, and one practical. Insofar as we want to know something, we adopt the standpoint of science and determinism. Within that standpoint, every event, including human actions, is determined, brought about by sufficient natural causes (including the states of our brains and various psychological factors). But when we are ready to do something, we switch to the practical standpoint. The main point is this: Insofar as we are acting or deciding to act, we must consider our own acts of will and decisions as the sufficient causes of our actions, and we cannot continue the causal chain backward to consider whether those acts of will are themselves caused. When we act, in other words, we cannot think of ourselves except as acting freely.
The textbook then goes on to say that if you could not think of yourself as acting freely you could never change a bad behavior, such as smoking, because you would always predict, “I’m going to start smoking again any way”. In order to make any decision or commit any action, especially if it is going to change a past behavior, we must consider ourselves completely free. I have personally changed cycles of my past behavior and I know that I could not have done it if I was not free.
Works Cited: Solomon, Robert C. Introducing Philosophy a Text with Integrated Readings. New York: Oxford UP, 2008. Print Martin, Suzanne. “Class Lecture” Gateway Community College, Phoenix.9 April.2009. Lecture
I believe we don't have freedom. I believe everything is controlled by what is acceptable to the majority. It is impossible to make freedom up as you see fit because freedom isn't real. The word is only made to make you think that because you can walk outside without being told you can. Their are different types of so called freedom but it is only trickery for you mind. For example, culturally you can believe that woman are made to take care of the kids, cook, and clean. Yeah that type of thinking is for the back in the day thinkers (some old people). Now a days things are changing and people no longer accept that way of thinking. I think a lot of expectations are made up of woman a and men and when the roles are reversed it can hurt peoples self esteem. The celebrities are paid way to much and they are only entertainers. Freedom allowed them to get paid that much. That is just another example of being controlled by "freedom". However no one says to much because it's normal not to.
I believe we have, if not complete, almost complete control over our choices and behaviors in life. I think most people fear being viewed as one who rocks the boat. This fear is why most people fall into line with the status quo. Government and business use these fears every single day in order to advance their agendas. Fear is the scariest thing out there after all. Firstly, I think when weighing actions and behaviors against any potential interference (social norms or the expectations of others), family commitments are important and should be considered heavily. I also believe that any family has an obligation to allow each member of the unit to cultivate their own life, activities that they participate in, relationships in which they choose to be in, etc. Having said that, social norms are not particularly useful except for when one wants to communicate with people or not seem “off” to others (i.e. your boss, a future business partner, or anybody else you would care to make a favorable impression on). In other words, get from A to B without the aid of being creative or different. After all, as long as I don’t disturb you during your day, what does it matter if I get on the elevator and stand in the opposite direction of everyone else. If one is an “artist type” or otherwise seen as not mainstream by mostly everyone else, it is advantageous for that person to learn how to deal with different types of people in society if the goal is to reach other levels, learn new things, advance in anything undertaken, or even just get by. Even still, those who hear the beat of a different drummer fall in with those of a like mind and do not depend on society’s squares to assist them. Since most of us are afraid of being seen as the black sheep, the vast majority conform to considered habits. Most are not willing to deal with the resistance that they would receive by acting against what’s standard. These days, an alarming number of people who are adhering to social norms do not want to take responsibility over basic issues in their lives, let alone taking responsibility over basic issues in their lives while they’re acting against social norms. What I’m trying to say is that I don’t think there any more Robin Hood’s out there. I however, urge everyone to color outside the lines and enjoy life and what is unknown and unexpected. By following in the same path of many before you, you are selling yourself and your possible experiences short. By venturing out of the box and doing things differently, you discover things you never knew existed and consider ideas that otherwise you might not have thought about. And who cares if people look at you strange … they kind of look strange themselves. So get on the next train and don’t be afraid to sit on the seat where you get the backward view.
How much freedom do we really have? We like to think that we have all the freedom in the world; we can pretty much do anything we feel like doing. On the other hand, we have little freedom. This is the “freedom” that doesn’t interfere with social norms, the kind that doesn’t break the rules or goes unpunished, for example, when I play guitar at my house or when I take a walk with my dogs. Of course, much of this liberty is minimized by social structures, or laws. In reality, I can’t really crank up the volume of my electric guitar and play at 2 A.M. without upsetting the neighbors, as they might call the police. I can neither enter a Circle K store with my dogs. It is like driving on a 4-lane highway, but just being allowed to drive on a single/specific lane. Driving on any of the other three would get me a ticket. To me that is what freedom is. Freedom is a distorted thought. Our societies try to keep everything under control and rules are required. They feed us ideas into believing that this is a free land, but at the same time, they control how much freedom we have, how much is tolerable, and what is punishable. Sometimes I think that society likes to taunt us. Cars can go as fast as 125 mph, but the limit says 35 mph. Then, I wonder why cars are made to go great speeds if it is against the law to go over the speed limit. I wonder how guns can be easily purchased knowing that they only work for one thing. Breaking the law can sometimes mean having your freedom taken; freedom has consequences. In the end, I still think we have little freedom. Is that enough for us to enjoy our lives? I’d say it depends on the person and how he/she wants to risk it.
How much freedom do we have in making our own decisions and choices? According to Determinists, we have no freedom at all. Determinists believe that everything has a natural cause, and every event (choice) will happen because of the laws of nature. Therefore, man has no freedom to choose. Those who believe in libertarianism and soft determinism, believe that there is free will and that humankind can make choices. Voluntariness is the concept that humans have both inner and outer control of their actions, thus, they have free will. I believe that each of us has freedom of choice within the society in which we live. It is not total freedom of choice. We must necessarily give up some of that freedom, for the greater good of the society. In order to live together in harmony, there must be laws and rules. If there were no such laws, anarchy would be the result, and eventually, the community would either die out or it would have to be reestablished with laws. A good example of this is the driving laws of each community. When automobiles were first introduced, there were no driving laws. Drivers could pretty much drive as they wanted, within operating limits of the vehicle. It became clear that laws were needed for the protection of drivers, pedestrians and non motor vehicles. Thus, laws were enacted for the greater good of communities. Violation of those laws results in penalties for the violator. What about societal norms or accepted behavior? Again, a society must decide what is accepted behavior. This is one reason each community has leaders to look to for guidance. If no decisions could be made until everyone was in total agreement, nothing would ever be done. We elect leaders to so that in a smaller representative group, some decisions can be made. So, again, we have given up some freedom, so that the community can survive. If a person does not like the decisions being made on his behalf, then he has the choice of working to replace his representative, or leaving the community for another that will suit him better. Cultural roles and expectations can and do affect our freedom of choice. Human history is replete with examples of people who decided to change the roles they were expected to fulfill in their societies. America was settled by people from all over the world, people who felt that they could not continue to live in their respective societies because they were unhappy with the roles and lives they were expected to live. Some sought religious freedom, others looked for opportunities to choose their own destinies in life, such as doing some kind of work different from their fathers, grandfathers, etc. If I do not like the life I have made for myself, I have the freedom to choose change. If I feel stifled in the church community, I can choose another church, because no one is going to come after me and haul me back to that church. If I am bored in my career, I can choose to go to school and change careers. If I live in a community that does not appreciate my talents or behaviors, I can move to another community. I have the freedom to choose. It is sad that there are communities of people who do not enjoy freedom of choice, primarily because their leaders have usurped that freedom. I believe that human nature is to crave freedom and that one day, their free will be restored to them.
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Position Paper #9
Freedom
I feel that we do have as much freedom as we choose to have, short of breaking the law that is. I agree that the social norms and culture roles could hinder or prevent certain actions by most individuals, however, there are people out there that live to be different and purposefully look for every opportunity to shock people. For instance, the cat-man, Dennis Anver. He admits that he wants and welcomes the disapproving stares of the people that pass him everyday on the street. He is a man that is literally transforming himself into a tiger. He has had whiskers implanted in his cheeks, his upper lip split to resemble that of a cat, his whole body (face included) is tattooed with tiger stripes, he has green cat-eye slit contacts, has had facial implants in his upper lip and forehead, had his nose flattened, had his teeth filed down into fangs, and is seeking a fur graft and to have an animatronics tail implanted into his sacrum that will move when his muscles contract. As far as his behavior is concerned, he eats raw meat everyday like a tiger would. I would say that he is living proof that one can choose to go against social norms and cultural expectations demonstrating just how much freedom he has. Another similar such case would be that of the lizard man. He has had his tongue split, tattoos of scales allover his face and body, and facial implants. He is another example of just how much freedom we are allotted in the breech of social norm department. And what about the Goth kids in high school that like to dress and act like vampires? Or the ones that run around with pink or blue hair? They are usually thought to be violating social norms, at least we were at my school. And as far as the behavioral expectations go, again, I feel we have as much freedom as we want within the limits of the law. I had a friend that WOULD go stand right next to people in an empty elevator because she liked to mess with people, to see what their reactions would be. I myself, never liked to make other people uncomfortable so I would follow the norms….but I have friends that chose not to, just for the fun of it!
1. www.stalkingcat.net
2. www.thelizardman.com
http://homepage.mac.com/dwp/iMovieTheater8.html
Position Paper # 9 How much freedom do we really have in our choice/behavior?
How free are we to choose our own actions and destiny? In our classroom discussion, I believe that the major consensus was that we do have a certain freedom of choice. We discussed the fact that there are social norms in place that constrain our behavior. The question was raised; Are these constraints compulsory, due to genetics, predestination or other factors, or can we truly choose our own destiny in spite of these factors?
I agree with the statement that David Hume purports regarding determinism. “He suggested that not only is freedom of choice and action possible within the framework of determinism, but determinism is even necessary if we are to make sense out of the notion of freedom of choice and responsibility.” 1
David Hume was considered to be a “Soft Determinist”. I identify with this position in that the Soft Determinist takes the position that a person’s actions “flow from ones character or disposition.”1 A strict Determinist position holds that everything that happens is determined according to the laws of nature…including human action. I believe that we can prove that there are laws of nature set in place that govern how things work, for example the laws of Thermodynamics. Where I part with “Hard Determinism” is the position that humans are also governed by laws of nature and therefore do not have a free will to choose.
While I believe in the sovereignty of God, I do not hold to the position of predestination. God created us to have a free will. He has left us a Record of many people in history that made choices and recorded the results of those choices. What philosophers and theologians have argued throughout history is whether God manipulates people’s decisions, as in the position of predestination, or does He allow people the free will to choose, being so omnipotent that He can construct events to fulfill His will, incorporating the free-will choices that people make.
A good example of the later position is the record of the Israelite, Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers. Their choice was to get rid of him. Joseph’s choice was to trust God and the vision that He gave him. Through this situation, and Joseph’s choices, Joseph became second in command in Egypt. During one of the greatest famines recorded in history, Joseph took care of his family and subsequently the Israelites were spared. Joseph’s statement to his brothers in the end was; “But as for you, ye thought evil against me: but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive”.2
The discussion that we had in class eluded to the fact that we do have a free will to make choices daily, and I believe that those choices take us on our destiny in life.
Sources:
1 Introducing Philosophy, Ninth edition, by Robert C. Solomon., 2008
2 KJV Bible, Genesis 50:20
I feel that we do not have free will. We have all these social constraints that prohibit us to be ourselves. There are certain behaviors that are expected from us whether it is at work, school, and family or in society as a whole. For example say a nudist wants to take a stroll on Mill Ave., in the nude of course, he would immediately the police called on him and sent to jail of indecent exposure and who know what else. Our live are run by rules and laws that control the way we think, and manipulate the way we act. How can any one be really free if there is always someone or something prohibiting us to do what we please? Some might argue that we can choice not follow the rules and do as “we will” but once that person is punished for straying from the norm that person, will most likely not stray and do as everyone else does.
As Baron Paul D’ Holbach stated in System of Nature, “he is born without his own consent; his organizations does in nowise depend upon himself; his ideas come to him involuntarily…” Since the time that we are born we are being told and how to behave, what to say and how to be. So how we can possibly have free to be ourselves if we were never given the opportunity to be that person? We have too many rules and expectations to truly be free. Our social norms dictate where to stand in an elevator and how to speak to others, our society has many laws to keep us all in order and religion dictates how you should think and what to believe in. These constraints keep most of us from doing as we will, eliminating our free will.
Keeping in mind the class discussion on social norms and cultural roles and expectations, How much freedom do we really have in our choices or behavior. (defend your position)
My belief is that we have a good amount of freedom for what we do. As a person we make the decision to act as we choose to act. There are consequences to any person’s actions whether good or bad. If you choose to let’s say do something like hit your mother. The consequence is that your family will be upset with you and maybe disown you for your behavior. You could also have the consequence of facing some sort of legal issue of assault. Which means now you have to go to court as well, possibly get an attorney and defend your behavior? In the process of all of this you have now lost your support system reference family members. Now you also have a criminal record reference the assault, which might affect your financial livelihood. The criminal record might decide whether or not you could keep your current employment. You have also lost the trust of your mother who perhaps holds the highest regards for who you are as a person. So let’s say that during all of this you also have a family, well now your wife and children have seen that you hit your mother. Perhaps this will cause your wife to be afraid of you and to also lose some respect for you. The action might even show to your children that it is acceptable behavior to hit their mother.
So now you decide is a person free to make decisions. Social norm basically says that you are now going to be held accountable one way or the other for your behavior. And in all honesty it is also not socially acceptable to hit your mother or to hit anyone for that matter.
My belief is really summed up by Baron Paul Henri D’Holbach’s writing on the System of Nature. He goes into a whole system about how a person’s behavior is connected to universal nature. “He is born without his own consent; his organization does in nowise depend upon himself;……..whether visible or concealed, over which he has no control,…etc.” “In short, the actions of man are never free; …….which he has formed to himself of happiness; of his opinions, strengthened by example, by education, and by daily experience.”
D’Holbach basically breaks down a person’s way of thinking in terms that a person can understand. From birth to well really death a person’s choices are really controlled by society, cultures and the law.
D’Holbach also said, “man, then, is not a free agent in any one instant of life; he is necessarily guided in each step by those advantages, whether real or fictitious, that he attaches to the objects by which his passions are roused…..etc..”
So in short we are not free we are conditioned to be and act a certain way by our culture, upbringing, society, religion, and what would make us look “off” in the real world. But, we are free to make the decision to stick with that lifestyle.
Position Paper #9
This is a difficult question for me to side with. I do believe that our biology does make up a large part of behaviors. The natural instincts of survival that have gotten humans this far, and the studies that have shown how humans respond to one another. However, I would have to say that most of us have freedom of choice and behavior. What leads me to believe this is most of us are able to change our behaviors. We have all done something in our lives that we weren’t supposed to, but most of us don’t keep repeating the same thing over again. Humans have the power to change their behaviors. There are some things we have no control of, but how we respond to them is our choice. For instance, children that have grown up in poverty, domestic violence, and parents whom suffer from substance abuse, don’t always turn out repeating the same lifestyle when they grow up. On the reverse side, children that grow up with a privileged life, have loving families, and had good examples to learn from, can lead a life of crime and drug use. There are many outside factors that shape our choices and behaviors, but in the end it is up to us to decide what we are going to do.
When it comes to following social norms, most people do. However, if a person moves to a different culture, those norms will change. We may adopt some of them, but still keep the ones we are use to. I think the older we get and the more educated we become there is more tolerance of different social norms. Especially living in a country that is so diverse, we accept other cultures differences, (at least some of us choose to). It is expected to follow the rules of where ever a person is, and by not doing so they must be responsible for their actions. Most people accept that, which leads them to follow the norms that are acceptable. If we all accepted the fact that no one had freedom of choice, and no one was responsible for their actions, I wonder how many “good” people there would still be? In my opinion, many of us would like to believe it wouldn’t change who we are, but we have all witnessed what happens to people when there is no order to control them. When people think there will be no consequences, they try to get away with as much as possible.
In my opinion, we have all the freedom that we choose to have. But it is all limited to laws and regulations. We have a freedom to express ourselves but to a certain extent. We have freedom as a privilege not a right and compared to other countries, we have it easy. With good behavior we earn freedom. Other countries limit the way you talk, dress, and vote. Even the type of religion, they control. I don't see nothing wrong with people having freedom. But when they cross that line and start harming innocent people, I totally agree that their "freedom" should be taken away. With the people that commit a crime and then plea insanity. I think they should also have their freedom taken away. The fact of just thinkig about something like that should deserve their freedom taken away as well.
This is a difficult question because it has made me think if we do have freedom when we make our choices. I believe that we do because everyone is different and they will make different choices. Even though we are influenced by our society, especially by our parents, we still have a little tiny bit of freedom where we can decide on the matter. As we discussed in class, we observe how people do their everyday activities and if we don’t do as they do, we can tell right away by the way that they look at you. But we decide if we want to keep doing it or if we want to blend in with everyone else. If we didn’t have freedom in what we did, then why would people decide to kill when they have had good role models in their live? Since everyone is different, we decide how we are going to make our decisions. If we didn’t have any freedom, then why are there some people that make right choices and others who make bad ones? We determine on how to make our decisions, by the way that we were raised and how we observe as grow up, especially when we are in school. When we are in school that has a big impact on our decisions and the friends we hang out with. If we hang out with people that will do things and don’t care what will happen, then we are going to be those people that are facing the elevator the wrong way. I believe that we do have free will, but we know that if we do something we know what the consequence will be and that’s how we decide if we want to do it or not.
Are any of us really free? I want to say that we are free to make our own choices or change our past behaviors because if we aren’t free it seems pointless to try to better one’s self at all. Even though I want to say we are all free, I can’t disagree with the idea that society ostracizes people that are outside of social norms. There is pressure from the time one is just a child to “fit in”. If we were not such social creatures, longing to be loved and admired, it would be much easier to ignore the social pressure to conform to norms. I think that if we care what other people think at all, it does limit our choices. Many years ago I took a one-night class about self-defense. It was supposed to teach us how to keep from becoming a victim. One of the things I still remember from that class was the male police officer saying that most girls and women are easily victimized because they are taught from a young age to be quiet and to behave like a lady. He said that there have been times when female victims could have saved themselves if they were just willing to scream and make a total scene in a public place. He said other women have scared predators away by acting crazy or weird. The desire to “fit in” is so great that I bet that even though some women have taken these classes and know this information, they still are not willing to scream in a public place just because some one might be after them.
Now that I have acknowledged that at times our choices may be limited, I can say that I really believe that ultimately we make our own choices and decisions. It is unacceptable to me to believe otherwise. If social pressures and expectations can compel any of our actions, then what is stopping those things from controlling all of our actions? If people’s actions are decided by something other than them how can we hold any one responsible for any thing, even murder. I realize that people that believe in determinism would say that it is “unlikely that there are uncaused events” and that we have no model for how the world would work if that were true. I would agree with those people as far as natural laws are concerned, but I would agree with the philosopher Kant that there are two different ways of looking at the world. My philosophy textbook says:
Kant says that we adopt two different standpoints toward the world, one theoretical, and one practical. Insofar as we want to know something, we adopt the standpoint of science and determinism. Within that standpoint, every event, including human actions, is determined, brought about by sufficient natural causes (including the states of our brains and various psychological factors). But when we are ready to do something, we switch to the practical standpoint. The main point is this: Insofar as we are acting or deciding to act, we must consider our own acts of will and decisions as the sufficient causes of our actions, and we cannot continue the causal chain backward to consider whether those acts of will are themselves caused. When we act, in other words, we cannot think of ourselves except as acting freely.
The textbook then goes on to say that if you could not think of yourself as acting freely you could never change a bad behavior, such as smoking, because you would always predict, “I’m going to start smoking again any way”. In order to make any decision or commit any action, especially if it is going to change a past behavior, we must consider ourselves completely free. I have personally changed cycles of my past behavior and I know that I could not have done it if I was not free.
Works Cited:
Solomon, Robert C. Introducing Philosophy a Text with Integrated Readings. New York: Oxford UP, 2008. Print
Martin, Suzanne. “Class Lecture” Gateway Community College, Phoenix.9 April.2009. Lecture
I believe we don't have freedom. I believe everything is controlled by what is acceptable to the majority. It is impossible to make freedom up as you see fit because freedom isn't real. The word is only made to make you think that because you can walk outside without being told you can. Their are different types of so called freedom but it is only trickery for you mind. For example, culturally you can believe that woman are made to take care of the kids, cook, and clean. Yeah that type of thinking is for the back in the day thinkers (some old people). Now a days things are changing and people no longer accept that way of thinking. I think a lot of expectations are made up of woman a and men and when the roles are reversed it can hurt peoples self esteem.
The celebrities are paid way to much and they are only entertainers. Freedom allowed them to get paid that much. That is just another example of being controlled by "freedom".
However no one says to much because it's normal not to.
I believe we have, if not complete, almost complete control over our choices and behaviors in life. I think most people fear being viewed as one who rocks the boat. This fear is why most people fall into line with the status quo. Government and business use these fears every single day in order to advance their agendas. Fear is the scariest thing out there after all.
Firstly, I think when weighing actions and behaviors against any potential interference (social norms or the expectations of others), family commitments are important and should be considered heavily. I also believe that any family has an obligation to allow each member of the unit to cultivate their own life, activities that they participate in, relationships in which they choose to be in, etc.
Having said that, social norms are not particularly useful except for when one wants to communicate with people or not seem “off” to others (i.e. your boss, a future business partner, or anybody else you would care to make a favorable impression on). In other words, get from A to B without the aid of being creative or different. After all, as long as I don’t disturb you during your day, what does it matter if I get on the elevator and stand in the opposite direction of everyone else. If one is an “artist type” or otherwise seen as not mainstream by mostly everyone else, it is advantageous for that person to learn how to deal with different types of people in society if the goal is to reach other levels, learn new things, advance in anything undertaken, or even just get by. Even still, those who hear the beat of a different drummer fall in with those of a like mind and do not depend on society’s squares to assist them.
Since most of us are afraid of being seen as the black sheep, the vast majority conform to considered habits. Most are not willing to deal with the resistance that they would receive by acting against what’s standard. These days, an alarming number of people who are adhering to social norms do not want to take responsibility over basic issues in their lives, let alone taking responsibility over basic issues in their lives while they’re acting against social norms. What I’m trying to say is that I don’t think there any more Robin Hood’s out there.
I however, urge everyone to color outside the lines and enjoy life and what is unknown and unexpected. By following in the same path of many before you, you are selling yourself and your possible experiences short. By venturing out of the box and doing things differently, you discover things you never knew existed and consider ideas that otherwise you might not have thought about. And who cares if people look at you strange … they kind of look strange themselves. So get on the next train and don’t be afraid to sit on the seat where you get the backward view.
How much freedom do we really have? We like to think that we have all the freedom in the world; we can pretty much do anything we feel like doing. On the other hand, we have little freedom. This is the “freedom” that doesn’t interfere with social norms, the kind that doesn’t break the rules or goes unpunished, for example, when I play guitar at my house or when I take a walk with my dogs. Of course, much of this liberty is minimized by social structures, or laws. In reality, I can’t really crank up the volume of my electric guitar and play at 2 A.M. without upsetting the neighbors, as they might call the police. I can neither enter a Circle K store with my dogs. It is like driving on a 4-lane highway, but just being allowed to drive on a single/specific lane. Driving on any of the other three would get me a ticket. To me that is what freedom is.
Freedom is a distorted thought. Our societies try to keep everything under control and rules are required. They feed us ideas into believing that this is a free land, but at the same time, they control how much freedom we have, how much is tolerable, and what is punishable. Sometimes I think that society likes to taunt us. Cars can go as fast as 125 mph, but the limit says 35 mph. Then, I wonder why cars are made to go great speeds if it is against the law to go over the speed limit. I wonder how guns can be easily purchased knowing that they only work for one thing. Breaking the law can sometimes mean having your freedom taken; freedom has consequences. In the end, I still think we have little freedom. Is that enough for us to enjoy our lives? I’d say it depends on the person and how he/she wants to risk it.
How much freedom do we have in making our own decisions and choices? According to Determinists, we have no freedom at all. Determinists believe that everything has a natural cause, and every event (choice) will happen because of the laws of nature. Therefore, man has no freedom to choose.
Those who believe in libertarianism and soft determinism, believe that there is free will and that humankind can make choices. Voluntariness is the concept that humans have both inner and outer control of their actions, thus, they have free will.
I believe that each of us has freedom of choice within the society in which we live. It is not total freedom of choice. We must necessarily give up some of that freedom, for the greater good of the society. In order to live together in harmony, there must be laws and rules. If there were no such laws, anarchy would be the result, and eventually, the community would either die out or it would have to be reestablished with laws.
A good example of this is the driving laws of each community. When automobiles were first introduced, there were no driving laws. Drivers could pretty much drive as they wanted, within operating limits of the vehicle. It became clear that laws were needed for the protection of drivers, pedestrians and non motor vehicles. Thus, laws were enacted for the greater good of communities. Violation of those laws results in penalties for the violator.
What about societal norms or accepted behavior? Again, a society must decide what is accepted behavior. This is one reason each community has leaders to look to for guidance. If no decisions could be made until everyone was in total agreement, nothing would ever be done. We elect leaders to so that in a smaller representative group, some decisions can be made. So, again, we have given up some freedom, so that the community can survive. If a person does not like the decisions being made on his behalf, then he has the choice of working to replace his representative, or leaving the community for another that will suit him better.
Cultural roles and expectations can and do affect our freedom of choice. Human history is replete with examples of people who decided to change the roles they were expected to fulfill in their societies. America was settled by people from all over the world, people who felt that they could not continue to live in their respective societies because they were unhappy with the roles and lives they were expected to live. Some sought religious freedom, others looked for opportunities to choose their own destinies in life, such as doing some kind of work different from their fathers, grandfathers, etc.
If I do not like the life I have made for myself, I have the freedom to choose change. If I feel stifled in the church community, I can choose another church, because no one is going to come after me and haul me back to that church. If I am bored in my career, I can choose to go to school and change careers. If I live in a community that does not appreciate my talents or behaviors, I can move to another community. I have the freedom to choose.
It is sad that there are communities of people who do not enjoy freedom of choice, primarily because their leaders have usurped that freedom. I believe that human nature is to crave freedom and that one day, their free will be restored to them.
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