Sam Harris Free Will

Words: 1904

Pages: 8

Open Document

The concept of free will is something that has been discussed for many centuries. For hundreds of years, philosophers of many different ideologies have explained this issue in great detail, for instance, Aristotle. Aristotle believed that a person is responsible for his or her own actions. He also believed a person’s future could not be predicted. On the other hand, you have some philosophers that believed if ones tries to learn and understand everything about the world then one would be able to predict every event that is likely to occur, such as, Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749-1827). Laplace proposed if a highly intellectual person has the capability to comprehend how Newtonian laws work and had “a description of the current position and momentum of each particle in the universe and the necessary mathematical ability” he or she would be able to anticipate every event that could occur in this universe. With that being said, I believe that God created a world that allowed humans to have free will because He wanted us, humans, to love Him unconditionally. In other words, God is considered to be morally perfect, and He wants his children, which is us, to portray His characteristics in an unselfish manner. In this paper I …show more content…
Sam Harris has written a book called The Moral Landscape. In part of the book, it mentions an experiment where there was a mad scientist that invented a robot that performed human behaviors and desires. Furthermore, the mad scientist, represented determinism, was able to control all the desires and behaviors that the robot performed. Harris came to the conclusion that nothing changed the robot was still able to control its desires, but it was still at random. However, the robot seemed to lack free will. Additionally, Harris also argues that we are victims that have unpredicted desires but this is “due to the unconscious machinations of our

Trickster Treat Harris Analysis

Joel Chandler Harris’ “Trickster Treats” One thing Brer Rabbit and Bugs Bunny have in common is that they are both tricksters. Characters who use their cleverness, arrogance, superiority, and vanity to outsmart their enemies are called the Tricksters. Joel Chandler Harris, a famous American short-story writer and humorist, born in Eatonton, Georgia (1848-1908) interpreted animals in his stories as tricksters. Harris turned out to be a newspaper apprentice and gained his firsthand knowledge of Negro…

Words 1411 - Pages 6

The Choking Game Analysis

The Choking Game, Gender, and Personality: Developing an understanding for a personality-focused preventative program. The Choking Game involves the practice of self-asphyxiation or self-strangulation to produce a temporary, drug free high. This practice achieves a brief feeling of euphoria through momentarily depriving the brain of oxygen (Bernacki and Davies, 2012). This is achieved by applying pressure to the neck until the participant passes out. The game may be played in groups or independent…

Words 1136 - Pages 5

Catcher In The Rye Anxiety

people suffered with the desire to have more “stuff” is transferred to the anxiety Holden feels when breaking free from this conformist way of life. He says, “I’m always saying ‘Glad to’ve met you’ to people I’m not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive you have to say that stuff, though.” This hyperbole shows the strength of social constraints but the desire Holden has to break free from this. It emphasises how Salinger wanted to influence children to be individual. The long shot within Perks…

Words 1105 - Pages 5

Retailing and Foreign Direct Investment Essay

Walmat LAW/531 October 31, 2013 Thane Messinger Walmart Walmart opened its doors in 1962 based on Sam Walton’s strategy of creating the lowest prices anytime, anywhere. By 1967, the Walton family was running 24 stores bringing in $12.7 million in sales. By 2012, the company served more than 200 million customers each week, employed 2.2 million associates worldwide, in more than 10,000 stores in 27 countries. After waiting years to open a “Superstore” in India, ambitious plans to expand…

Words 3474 - Pages 14

Gun Rights Essay example

people in "killing fields" ● He believed these people represented a threat to his power. There is one common theme with all atrocities committed against man, the people are disarmed first However, the 2nd amendment stands in the way of this "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government" -- Thomas Jefferson, 1 Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334…

Words 1345 - Pages 6

Essay about God cannot be proved

world where nothing was known. Where many things, if not everything could not be justified, as there was little or no real scientific advancement.(L.Antony) This was one of the main reasons to “create” what we didn’t know and couldn’t explain. Sam Harris explained the approximate historical origin for religion, its traditions and all its books. He was almost certain that it was the work of sand-strewn men and women, who thought the world was flat and for whom a wheelbarrow would have been a breathtaking…

Words 2301 - Pages 10

Essay on Love At First Byte

holidays ruminating over unsatisfactory or nonexistent love lives log on in their thousands, hoping to find romance—ideally before February 14th. “The period between New Y ear's Day and Valentine's Day is our busiest six weeks of the year,” explains Sam Y agan, the boss of OkCupid, a big American dating site. Once seen as the last resort for a bunch of lonely geeks, online-dating services have gradually shed much of the stigma formerly associated with them. Although they are still popular with tech…

Words 3016 - Pages 13

God Ethic Bible Jehovah Witnesses and Infanticide Essay

Jim Meyer Personal Research 03 November 2013 Jehovah’s Witnesses, God, Ethics and Biblical (Infanticide) Genocide and “The destruction was to be complete: every man, woman, and child was to be killed… the death of these children was actually their salvation…God does these children no wrong in taking their lives… So who is wronged? Ironically, I think the most difficult part of this whole debate is the apparent wrong done to the Israeli soldiers themselves.” [William L. Craig, Christian apologist]…

Words 7251 - Pages 30

Essay on BWVW 101 MWF Syllabus

Liberty University BWVW 101: Affirming A Biblical Worldview (Fall Semester 2014 -- 1 Credit Hour) Professor: Dr. Lew A. Weider Phone: 434-582-2325 Office: Green Hall (GH) room 1880 Hours: 8:00am-4:30pm E-mail: laweider@liberty.edu Course Description This course is designed to aid the student in the development of a biblical worldview. This will involve an introduction to critical thinking, an evaluation of contemporary moral philosophies, and an affirmation of absolute truth. Students will…

Words 3422 - Pages 14

Essay on First Amendment to the United States Constitution and u . s . Supreme Court

Significant historical events, court cases, and ideas that have shaped our current system of constitutional First Amendment jurisprudence: 1215 Abuses by England’s King John cause a revolt by nobles, who compel him to recognize rights for both noblemen and ordinary Englishmen. This document, known as the Magna Carta, establishes the principle that no one, including the king or a lawmaker, is above the law, and establishes a framework for future documents such as the Declaration of Independence…

Words 7937 - Pages 32