Is Determinism the True Nature of Reality?

Reasonable Faith and Avoid Project team up again for this cinematic short film on the naturalistic view and consequences of "determinism."

"You and I are no more than biological machines, organisms built by DNA for the sole purpose of passing it on. Just as the universe is comprised only of matter, we, too, are purely physical objects." This view is called naturalism, a view that has come into prominence because of the successful pursuits of modern science.

Naturalism tells us that nothing exists beyond the physical realm. If we cannot measure it, see it, or touch it – it does not exist. By following the scientific method, we have discovered the laws of physics, the descriptions of how our physical universe normally and consistently behaves. But according to naturalism, mankind is no different than its habitat. Since the universe obeys the laws of physics, we, too, are wholly subject to them.

You may have thought that a series of free choices has led you to where you are today. But according to naturalism, free will does not exist. Since human beings are merely physical entities, we are bound by the laws of cause and effect. Our actions today can be traced back to prior physical causes. In turn, these causes can be traced all the way back to the beginning of the universe. The result? All of your actions – past, present and future, have been predetermined since the universe began.

Fortunately, determinism itself is not an inevitable conclusion...

[scroogejones]

"The choice is yours." I see what you did there ;)

[leadfollower]

This is a beautifully done video, and the beauty of it supports the idea that there is more to the human experience than predetermined cause and effect. Thanks to both Reasonable Faith and Avoid Project for making such a great short film and sharing it with the world!

[RstRlx]

Let’s not get upset and respond to angry comments from naturalists. After all it is not them who make those comments but rather it is predetermined physical response of their brain that has nothing to do with their studies, persons or views :).

[NoWorriesLad]

Love the video, always great content from WLC. Does anyone else agree that we need to move away from referring to the new atheists (Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris etc.)? I feel like these guys have been old news for a while now and actually we need to challenge new people who are shaping the secular culture as it stands today

[nitongpelingon]

thank God for this great Christian philosopher

[redbearwarrior]

If we say that we cannot be praise worthy or blame worthy without being able to do other than what we do, then how can God be praise worthy? He cannot sin. So how can He be praise worthy? Being how He could not do other than be moral. I'm a Christian asking this.

[ravissary]

Convincing people they have no free will is seductive since it removes any substance from the feeling we could have done otherwise... this is initially liberating because it removes regret. But in the process it enslaves people to their environmental pressures and they begin to accept they can't merely do better, but they NEVER can, and this means we're utterly powerless cogs in a meaningless universe. This eventually leads to despair or triviality and culturally-psychopathy.

[CS_Lewis]

Whats the point of arguing me if i am predestined to not believe in determinism and its that all my brain has set for me. The same applies to everything in this world, why arguing people who dont share the same thoughts with me and also religious people who are destined to believe in such thing and they cant choose the other way round. In fact what is the point to argue if nature has bring us to this world to have diiferent worldviews and conflict each other and that we dont have any other choice but to disagree with each other. But we still try our best to change someone else's mind. By saying that, we say that nature is complex and paradox and bears no particular shape.

Wait, dont argue with me, as long as iam destined to write this, there is no point in arguing me afterall.

[DigitalGnosis]

You say random rhetorical stuff like "since humans are *merely* physical entities..." - well, whats sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, you can do the same with non-naturalism, if humans are merely souls then some bad X, like, what hope is there, how does this affirm the dignity of man, how can I really be free if antecedent soul-reasons determine my choices etc.

If you think there are these non-natural parts of causal reality, like souls, then maybe you can set up some experiments to show how they interact with the physical neurochemistry of the brain. Empirically it would seem to me like the kind of interactionism you want would violate the laws of conservation and its analytically rather bizarre way that you use "free" to mean that people are an uncaused cause of their own desires, which is completely incoherent. Your view loses out on fit to the data that we have from our best sciences and on ontological parsimony!

This is without getting into all your other claims about not being able to be rational and, not to mention the way in which you're using the terms "rational" and "free" by which you simply beg the question of your own worldview - how about actually getting to Christianity from a neutral starting point that a naturalist would actually agree to?

These arguments are only convincing to people already committed to their conclusions - that is however, what you have stated the purpose of apologetics is I suppose, to bolster the faith of the believer - well... what can I say to the intellectual virtues of tribalism.

[dakota]

Even as an atheist, materialism and naturalism always seemed silly to me. Thank God the Holy Spirit drew me out of that non-sense.

[speak-thetruth]

I'm so thankful to God for you dr. Craig. May God bless you and your work. I have your books, and I learn a lot great things from your books, and vidoes. I'm a youth leader, and will encourage my youth to watch your vidoes, and read your books. May God keep you for us, in Jesus name amen.

[Darksaga]

Dennett views are self defeating. He says we should not trust our "directed" thoughts, but that includes the thought "we should not trust our directed thoughts". It's so self defeating that I don't know how these atheists choose to live their lives with such an inconsistent world view.

[marko_duvnjak]

Great video Dr.Craig. This might surprise you but this is coming from the undergraduate student of physics. I often see incredible amount of rigor in science. Everything is very strict. But when it comes to explaining the origin of reason that we so fondly use I see great amount of disregard of this very fundamental question. I believe that such disregard comes about from our inability to explain it by anything other than something unphyscal. This makes lot of my fellow scientists very upset so they avoid the problem and even sacrifice things as important as selfconsistency just to evade inevetable logical conclusion that there is something special about inteligent life that no science can explain (given that science can explain anything). If you strictly follow determinism you esentially construct your own logical demise. All science and math have originated from our thoughts and observations. If theese thoughts and observations were deterministic than esentially we have no other choice but to think as we do. We could be wrong about something but we would not be able to notice it beacause our way of thinking is predetermined. Esentially then all the science and math have been predetermined. How can you test if something is true if you do not have a possibility of choice. This is a huge issue that no one mentions. They just say phylosophy is dead. The possibiliry of scientiffic inquiry is one of the greatest proofs of God's existence.

[nathanfranckhauser]

You can replace “determinism” with “Calvinism, ” and you end in the same untenable mess.

[matthewbateman]

Cogito, ergo, sum.
I cannot be a purely physical being, because anything which appeals to the five senses can be doubted. Therefore 'Mind' must be something more that merely physical.

[rickshafer]

Dawkins is ascrub. Always has been. Ripping the signposts of logic down, he commits regular logical falacies.
Frankly it is embarrassing .

[scottmercer]

This is so brilliant and so needed in 2021!

[georgemoncayo]

Everything that happens in history has been decreed/Predestined before the world was created see Eph 1:11, Proverbs 16:33 and Amos 3:6. And yes even when terrible things happen, I know it's hard for some people to accept but look what happened when David sinned against God and one of Davids punishments was that God told him that he was going to use Davids own son to shame his Father by Absalom Absalom doing something immoral to his Fathers concubines in front of all of Israel, see 2 Samuel 12:11-12 God said "Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun." Notice how God said "I WILL DO THIS THING."That was fulfilled in 2 Samuel 16:21-22. Jesus did not die for every single person ever and Jesus didn't die to make people savable. He died to save his elect. In John 17:9 Jesus said that he does not pray for the world. The word world is used in different contexts, in that context he's talking about the non elect. In John 3:16 world means that he purchased people from every tribe, tongue and nation Rev 5:9 and for the children of God scattered abroad John 11:52. Some have been "long beforehand marked out for condemnation" Jude 4 and "appointed to doom." 1 Peter 2:8. About Pharaoh God said “For this VERY PURPOSE I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires." Rom 9:17-18. Jesus said "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." Matthew 11:25-27. So, 2 Pet 3:9 the "not willing that any should perish" if you read that letter in context, 2 Pet 1:1 says "To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours." As far as salvation for all men verses, Paul was refuting the false notion of his time that God was only desiring to save just the Jews and 1 Tim 2:2 says to pray "for kings and all who are in authority" because as humans WE DON'T KNOW WHO THE ELECT ARE SO WE PRAY FOR EVERYONE! That's what it means in verse 4 by saying "all men." Amos 3:2 God said "of all the nations of the earth I have only known you." For centuries God passed over the majority of humankind because this verse isn't about knowledge it's about relationship. And it isn't because God foresaw Israel was more righteous then the other nations because sometimes Israel was more sinful then the pagan nations see 2 Kings 21:9. Only those who were predestined to be saved will be see Acts 13:48, Ephesians 1:4-5, Eph 1:11, Romans 9:11-23, John 6:37. 1 Samuel 3:14 God said “Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” That's Limited atonement.

[CJUzziel]

Well done. Really simplified an issue that people tend to overcomplicate so that it is not challenged as it should.

[truthtvproductions]

beautifully explained dr craig love from india god bless your ministry