PHL105Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Determinism, If And Only If, Fatalism
Document Summary
Causal determinism the thesis that every event has a cause. Fatalism: the future is completely settled in all respects by fate. Divine predestination: god ordained from all eternity everything that will happen. Causal (or physical/nomological) determinism: every (physical) event has a (physical) cause. Pierre-simon laplace, first articulation of what is now known as causal or scientific determinism: All events, even those which account of their insignificance do not seem to follow the great laws of nature, are a result of it just as necessarily as the revolutions of the sun. Causal determinism can be understood as the claim that every event has a cause provided that causation is understood in a certain way. Laws of nature descriptive vs. prescriptive laws of nature laws vs. statement of laws law-like generalization vs. accidental generalization. Causation: according to a standard account of causation, If causal determinism is true, every event is subsumable under is governed by a universal causal law of nature.