The Existential Frankenstein
“…mine shall not be the submission of abject slavery… if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear…”
Free Will
The doctrine of Free-Will lies at the opposite side of the Free-Will vs. Determinism Spectrum
Free Will Defined
The belief that human action and history is not pre-determined, therefore humans can shape history if we act upon Free-Will choices.
Unpredictability
Freedom: at the root of Free Will lies the
belief that the world is beyond what we can comprehend.
-we cannot understand the Universe in totality, therefore some elements are unpredictable.
-human behavior is in part beyond comprehension, and is therefore unpredictable.
Choice & Freedom
The core of human identity is rooted in choice.
At the “core of our being”, each of us knows we must make choices.
My choices are independent and “free”
-not “forced” to choose
-I choose to act, or not to
I don’t always know “why”
-but I must choose
I can’t predict all the consequences
-but I will live with them
Rebellion & Responsibility
“Even if I am wrong, I refuse to believe that my future is completely predetermined.”
Therefore, “I choose to accept responsibility for the consequences of my actions.”
Free Will & Identity
Actions are a consequence of Free-Will choices.
The consequences of my Free-Will choices shape who I am.
Each “person” is a product of individual choice.
“I will make with my own consequences”
“I make my own choices and freely accept
responsibility for the consequences, therefore, I will create who I am, and what I shall become.”
Bad Faith
Bad Faith is a term used to describe the refusal to accept responsibility for the consequences of one’s own choices and actions.
Such a person either
-acts without thinking (i.e.…follows the herd), or
-lives in “self-denial” -refuses to accept responsibility for the consequences of his or her actions.
(see Being and Nothingness, by Jean-Paul Sartre,
Thus Spoke Zarathustra, by Friedrich Nietzsche)
The Existential Frankenstein
Free Write
“…mine shall not be the submission of abject slavery… if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear…”
Consider the quotation above, spoken by the creature/being.
Compare contrast Victor Frankenstein with the creature/being. Who acts as an authentic “person” in the Existential sense?
Why?
Or Why Not?