William James: The Dilemma of Determinism

     The “Dilemma of Determinism'' by William James is a philosophical work that illuminates the concepts of determinism through its effects upon free will, moral responsibility, and human nature. According to;.britannica.com;“Determinism entails that, in a situation in which a person makes a certain decision or performs a certain action, it is impossible that he or she could have made any other decision or performed any other action” James constructs the divide of determinism vs. free will through the lens of human actions being either predetermined by prior causes, unalterable in their course, or through the illusion of free will. Furthermore, the nature of mundane moral responsibility. As a result, he seemingly implies that free will might be illusory or limited in its scope. Thus, the dilemma. Simultaneously, James introduces the illusion of free will with the narrative of personal agency in moral decision-making, where individuals navigate the maze of choices with a heightened sense of accountability.

     Essentially, the work in and of itself is a paradox in the context that it evaluates the nature of the human condition as ever changing but also remains stagnant in its condition that determinism is not a result of direct free will but a spider web of previous choices and causes that affect current and future judgment. Similarly, a research paper provided from the College of London states that; “James also asked the students to imagine his actions repeated in exactly the same circumstances, a condition which is regarded today as one of the great challenges to libertarian free will. While James acknowledges the perception of free will and the personal sense of making decisions and control over one's life, he similarly elaborates upon a deterministic view that suggests human choices are a product of these previous causes. 

    In the sense of how this applies in the real world compared to the mind of a philosophical thinker, it is evident that self acceptance of responsibility is viewed in two ways. The first is the self-accepting responsibility of one's actions controlling one's life through free will while the other is the acceptance that life is predetermined and there is a safety in the controversy of making decisions. Essentially, some individuals find solace in the idea of a predetermined destiny, while others advocate for the autonomy of human will. Accordingly, the Oxford University Press on global.oup.com, advocates for the idea that ;“According to James, indeterminism allows that the world has ambiguous possibilities”. Not only does the article delve into the complexity of ambiguous possibilities via indeterminism, the article advocates for the possible truths surrounding the function of determinism when contemplating certain virtues. According to a similar article; “Free Will and Determination” ,Such truths include the perception of viewing feelings of regret as absurd instead of as events and further “that sins of murder and treachery would cease to be  sins”. 

    Conclusively, James doesn’t outright deny or affirm whether determinism is solely caused by prior causes and choices. Nevertheless, James does make it a point to identify that the very contemplation of determinism is one of the primary aspects that influence philosophy. According to the Harvard Library; “The Sentiment of Rationality,” “Brute and Human Intellect,” and “The Dilemma of Determinism” show James considering questions of agency, interest, and motive—including, he said, “the motives which lead men to philosophize.” However, he highlights the complexities and tensions between these philosophical positions. A discussion, via youtube.com, examines the idea that “James concludes free will to be a philosophy of promise and improvement since we wouldn’t be at the determinist mercy of history.”  Thus, leaving room for interpretation and contemplation about the relationship between determinism and the perception of free will.