The Arguments in Favour of Determinism are described below:
1. Inductive Argument:
The first argument depends upon cause-effect relation. Science searches for cause and effect in natural phenomena. Continuously, reasons for new fact are being looked for. If this progress is maintained, we will soon know the causes of many perplexing facts. Similarly, some day science will discover the causes underlying the voluntary actions of the humans. It will show that so called voluntary actions are controlled.
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2. Deductive Argument:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
According to scientists, the law of cause and effect is all comprehending and unchanging. All science is founded on this faith. From this universal law, it becomes clear that voluntary actions must also have causes. The law of cause and effect is creditable. No object can be without a cause and neither can it be caused by itself. Thus, every physical and mental activity has a cause which exists before it obviously, determinism is true.
3. Epistemological Argument:
According to Kant the object which is known, is controlled by the laws of knowledge. The law of knowledge is, in effect, that knowledge of the relations between the object and other objects is necessary for knowledge of the object the major relation among these is the relation of cause and effect without knowledge of because we cannot know an object.
Thus, the object which we know has causes and we also have some knowledge of them. Therefore man’s voluntary actions must have causes. Thus, man is controlled.
4. Psychological Argument:
The causes of volitions are motives and desires. In a conflict the cause of volition is the strongest motive or desire and this depends upon external conditions as well as mental structure. Thus, heredity and external circumstances control human volition. In this way, the so called voluntary volitions are controlled.
5. Support by Materialism and Theism:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Over and above the four preceding arguments in favour of determinism, the materialists and theists also lend their support. According to them, unconscious matter and God respectively are the first cause of all objects.