Free Will
Capacity to make choices unconstrained by external factors or prior causes. Libertarian free will asserts genuine alternatives and agent causation. Existentialists emphasize radical freedom and responsibility. Compatibilists argue free will exists within determinism as freedom from coercion. Neuroscience challenges free will with experiments showing unconscious decisions precede awareness. Implications for moral responsibility, legal accountability, and human dignity. Free will debates involve metaphysics, neuroscience, and ethics. Most people intuitively believe in free will despite philosophical challenges.
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Determinism
Philosophical view that all events are determined by prior causes. Hard determinism denies free will—every …
Existentialism
Philosophical movement emphasizing individual existence, freedom, and choice. Existentialism asserts that existence precedes essence—humans create …
Solipsism
Epistemological position that only one's own mind is certain to exist. Solipsism extends Cartesian doubt: …
Rationalism
Epistemological view that reason is primary source of knowledge, independent of experience. Rationalists like Descartes, …
Empiricism
Epistemological view that knowledge comes from sensory experience. Empiricists like Locke, Berkeley, and Hume reject …
Utilitarianism
Ethical theory that right actions maximize overall happiness or well-being. Founded by Bentham and Mill, …
Transhumanism
Intellectual movement advocating use of technology to enhance human capabilities beyond current limitations. Transhumanists support …
Consciousness
The subjective quality of experience—what it's like to be something. Phenomenal consciousness is qualitative experience …
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