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All 8 Flashcards — Causality and determinism
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Question
Causality?
Answer
The way one event brings about another — cause and effect, the engine of scientific explanation.
Question
Determinism?
Answer
The view that, given the past and the laws of nature, only one future is possible — so the self looks like a link in the chain.
Question
The determinist worry about the self?
Answer
If the brain is physical and physical events are caused by the past plus the laws, your choices are fixed — freedom looks like an illusion.
Question
Iron-rule vs pattern view of laws?
Answer
Iron rule = a force that makes the future happen (locked); pattern (Hume) = a reliable habit that describes it (not locked).
Question
Why does 'what is a law?' matter?
Answer
Hard determinism needs laws to FORCE the future; if laws only describe (Hume), the future isn't fixed and the case loosens.
Question
Compatibilism?
Answer
The view that free will and determinism can both be true: a choice is free when it flows from you and isn't forced, even though it's caused.
Question
Why doesn't randomness give you freedom?
Answer
A merely probable, random choice is a fluke, not a free act — loosening the chain alone doesn't hand you freedom.
Question
The 5-step method for a §B essay?
Answer
Find the issue → argue View 1 → test it with View 2 → weigh them → reasoned conclusion, linking back to the claim throughout.
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Full study notes for Causality and determinism
Topic 6.2 hub
Science and the self
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