Neff1

KylieNeff
GregorySpendlove
PHIL1000006
10March2016
PhysicalDeterminismandHumanPraiseworthiness/Reward
InthispaperIamgoingtoarguethatdeterminismandhumanpraiseworthiness/reward
areincompatible.
FirstofallIshouldprobablyexplaindeterminism,AccordingtoDouglasJ.Soccios
eightheditionof
ArchetypesofWisdom
(439),

determinismistheBeliefthateverythingthat
happensmusthappenexactlythewayitdoesbecauseallmatterisgovernedbycauseandeffect
andfollowslawsofnature.Therearedifferenttypesofdeterminismbuttheyallbasicallystate
thesamething,youhavenofreewill.Everythinghashappenedbecauseithadtohappenand
therewasnootheroutcomethatcouldhavehappened.Anexampleofdeterminismwouldbeme
writingthispaperonApril4intheyear2016at10:30a.m.Accordingtodeterminism,me
writingthispaperrightnowhadtohappenandtherewasnootherwayitcouldhaveplayedout.
But,whatifIdecidedtoprocrastinatemorethanIalreadyhaveandgograbasmoothieinstead?
IfIhadlefttogetasmoothieinsteadthanIwouldprobablybethinkingthesamething,me
gettingasmoothierightnowonApril4oftheyear2016at10:30a.m.hadtohavehappenedand
therewasnootherpossibleoutcomebutobviouslytherewouldhavebeenbecauseIamnot
gettingasmoothiebutratherwritingthispaper.Thereisnowayofknowingwhatcouldhave
happenedifIlefttogetasmoothieearliertodaybecauseitisnow10:48a.m..


Neff2

Youmightbeaskingwhatdoesdeterminismhavetodowithpraiseworthiness?Well,
firstletmeexplainwhatpraiseis.Praiseisdoingsomethingbeyondwhatisexpectedofyouand
receivingrecognitionforthisact.Theoppositeofpraisewouldbeblame.Blame,accordingto
NealTognazziniandD.JustinCoates,is
Toblamesomeoneistorespondinaparticularwayto
somethingofnegativenormativesignificanceabouthimorhisbehavior.
Ifdeterminismis
basicallyamapofyourlifethenadeterministwouldntseekpraiseworthinessforbeing
adequate,becausetheyweredestinedtodoitanywayorinotherwordsitwasoutoftheir
control.Thesamethinggoesforblame.Ifyoudidsomethingmorallywrong,forinstance,shot
andkilledastranger,adeterministwouldnotseethemselvesasaguiltypersonbecauseitwasall
outoftheircontrol.Everysanepersonshouldknowthatifyoukilledsomeguyonthestreets
thanyoushouldbeblamedforitandshouldgotojail.Inorderforpraiseworthiness/
blameworthinesstobesufficient,determinismmustnotbetrue.
AnargumenttowhatIsaidabovewouldbecompatibilism.AccordingtoLeighVicens
andthefamousphilosopherThomasHobbesacompatibilistwouldarguethat

apersonisfree
totheextentthatshefindsnoimpedimenttodoingwhatshewantsorwillstodo.Sobasically
whatacompatibilistwouldargueisthataslongasyouwantedtodoitandnothingstoodinyour
wayofdoingitthenyoushouldbepraisedorblamed.Letsgobacktotheexampleofkillingthe
strangerIgaveearliertheargumentisthataslongasyouwantedtokillthestrangerand
nothinggotinyourwaythenyouareguilty.Thesamethinggoeswithpraise,ifyouwantedto
gobeyondwhatwasexpectedofyouandnothingstoodinyourwaythenyoudodeservetobe
praised.


Neff3

Myobjectiontotheaboveargumentwouldbethatno,youcaninfactdosomethingeven
ifyoudontwanttodoit.Againletsgobacktotheexampleofshootingandkillingthestranger
butletssaythatyouhadafriendwhowasheldcaptivebysomemenwhotoldyouthatifyou
killedsomeguywalkingdownthestreettheywouldletyourfriendgo,soyoudoit.Inthis
exampleyoudidntnecessarilywanttokillthestrangerbutyoudidittofreeyourfriend.Ifyou
killsomeinnocentpersonthenyoushouldbeheldguiltynomatterwhatthemotivewas.Lets
bringuppraiseagain.Ithinkeveryonehasdonesomehomeworkorchoresthattheydidntwant
todobutdidanyway.Ifsomeonepraisesyoufordoingachoreyoudidntwanttodo,wouldnt
yousayyoustilldeservedthatpraise?Mostofthetimewedothingwedontreallywanttodo
becausewegetpraiseafterwards,butifwenevergetthankedorpraisedforthings,thanwe
probablywouldntfeelappreciatedandwouldstopdoingthingswedontwanttodo.Notonly
doesactionproducepraisebutpraisecanproduceaction.
Sincepraiseorblamecanproduceaction,anddeterminismstatesthatallactionsare
predetermined,thetwoideasareincompatible.Ibelievethatpraiseandblamearehelpfulthings
andcanaidinteachinguswhichactionsarerightandwhicharewrong.Sincedeterminismstates
thateverythingisfixed,thenbeingpraisedand/orblamedcantchangeouractionanddont
necessarilyteachusrightfromwrongbecausewhetherornotwecandecipherrightfromwrong
ouroutcomeswillbethesame,Idontunderstandhowpraiseandblamecouldbenefitusinany
wayifdeterminismiscorrect.


Neff4

WorksCited
Soccio,DouglasJ..
ArchetypesofWisdomAnIntroductiontoPhilosophy.
8thed.Belmont:
ThomsonLearningInc.,2010

LeighVicens.TheologicalDeterminism,InternetEncyclopediaofPhilosophy.Universityof
TennesseeMartin.May3,2016.
http://www.iep.utm.edu/theodet/

Tognazzini,NealandCoates,D.Justin,"Blame",
TheStanfordEncyclopediaofPhilosophy
(Spring2016Edition),EdwardN.Zalta(ed.),Apr282016,URL=
<http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2016/entries/blame/>
.

GarrathWilliams.PraiseandBlame,InternetEncyclopediaofPhilosophy.Universityof
TennesseeMartin.May3,2016.
http://www.iep.utm.edu/praise/