A CRITIQUE OF DETERMINISM IN THE LIGHT OF IMMANUEL KANT

A CRITIQUE OF DETERMINISM IN THE LIGHT OF IMMANUEL KANT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE…………………………………………………………………….…i

CERTIFICATION…………………………………………………………ii

DEDICATION……………………………………………………………..iii

ACKNOWLEDEMENTS………………………………………………….iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………..vi

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION AND THE CLARIFICATION OF TERMS

1.1. Freedom ……………………………………………………….……….3

1.2. Determinism…………………………………………………………….5

1.3. Kinds of Determinism…………………………………………………..6

1.4. Physical Determinism……………………………………………………7

1.5. Ethical Determinism……………………………………………………..9

1.6 Theological Determinism………………………………………………..10

1.7 Psychological Determinism………………………………………………11

1.8 Logical Determinism…………………………………………………….13

CHAPTER TWO

A HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE PROBLEM OF FREEDOM AND DETERMINISM

2.1 Ancient Period……………………………………………………………15

2.2 Medieval Period…………………………………………………………21

2.3 Modern Period…………………………………………………………..24

2.4 Contemporary Period……………………………………………………29

CHAPTER THREE

FREEDOM AND DETERMINISM IN THE LIGHT IMMANUEL KANT

3.1 The Doctrine of Autonomy of the will in the light of Immanuel Kant…………………………………………………………………..………32

3.2 Freedom as moral Postulate……………………………………………..36

3.3 The doctrine of the Phenomena and the Noumena vis-à-vis the Problem of freedom and determinism……………………………………………………41

CHAPTER FOUR

CRITICAL EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION

4.1 Critique of the determinist’s Position……………………………………47

4.2 Demonstration of the Freedom of the will57

4.3 Conclusion………………………………………………………….……60

BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………..…62

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION AND THE CLARIFICATION OF TERMS

Human beings live in a world that is laden with many possibilities. As a being with the capacity to choose between alternatives, he has been able to surmount the numerous problems he has so far encountered.  Not only this, he has been able to develop this world by merely and freely choosing almost the best out of his many alternatives.  However, it has also come to the knowledge of this same man that some external forces influence most of his actions. This has led some men to the conclusion that man is, in fact, not free.  This is now a big problem in the field of philosophy.

This problem of freedom of the will and determinism has continued to perturb philosophers from the ancient period till date.  As a matter of fact, this problem has seen philosophers and some scientists divided into two opposing camps; those who hold tenaciously to the freedom of the will and those who deny the reality of the freedom of the will.  The former are known as the libertarians while the latter group is known as determinists.

It is in the midst of this controversy that I have set out to defend the reality of the freedom of the will in the light of Immanuel Kant, a philosopher of great repute, despite the fact that the juice seem to have, ages ago, been pressed out of this free will controversy.

Immanuel Kant lived all his eighty years in the small provincial town of konisberg in East Prussia.  He was born in April 22, 1724.  His family was among the pietists, a protestant sect somewhat like the Quakers and early Methodists. This tremendously impacted on his philosophical works. Kant authored many philosophical works some of which include Critique of Pure Reason {1781}, Critique of Practical Reason {1788}, Critique Of Judgment {1790}, Metaphysics of Morals{1797} and a host of others. His other woks, which he was unable to complete before his demise on February 12, 1804, were gathered together under the title “opus postunum”.

A CRITIQUE OF DETERMINISM IN THE LIGHT OF IMMANUEL KANT