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This is a blog for students in Meredith Aby-Keirstead's Introduction to Philosophy class at Jefferson High School in Bloomington, MN. There is an expectation by the instructor & the JHS administration that the same standards for behavior & respect at JHS apply to the blog.
27 comments:
A decision that I made was just a response to behavioral conditioning was when I decided to eat peanut butter crackers this morning for breakfast. This was not merely a decision by me, because my family generally does not enjoy eating cereal, so we never really have it around. My parents always talk about not liking cereal, so I've been predisposed against liking it. Something that I had free will on was which parking space to park my car in this morning. The parking lot was relatively empty, so it was pretty much my very own decision for where I should park the car. I think I tend to agree more with Skinner's argument. I'm a big believer in the little things making a big difference, so I tend to believe that small things can set of a chain of reactions that lead to a certain outcome. This could mean that a decision that someone thought was their very own was really the result of a long series of events that was set off by some small incident.
I think an example of a decision that I make everyday that is a response to stimuli and conditioning is doing my school work. I never HAVE to do my school work, but I do it because I want the positive stimuli of getting a good grade, and I also have the negative stimuli of the fear of failure and the fear of my peers and my teachers and my parents looking down upon me because I didn't live up to their expectations. Of course I DO have a choice to do my school work, but I really HAVE to do it if I want my life to continue in the way that I like it too.
Most choices I believe I do have, for example I believe I do have the choice to talk to my friends in the hallway. I think that my conditioning goes both ways on this. On the one hand I enjoy the presence of others but choosing whom to do talk to in the hall isn't based on conditioning its based on a choice that I make everyday. Also I could go to my class room and read a book, which I sometimes do.
I believe more in Sartre. I think that people really do have a choice most of the time in what they do. However I don't think this can be universally applied because for example there are people who are just put in such a horrible situation that they don't think they can make certain choices and I don't think they can just be blamed because of the horrible environment around them. I don't think this applies to hurting other people. Though. I think that if someone is brought up in a poor farming community and has to work on the farm and become a poor farmer, I don't think its because they gave up in school. But I think that if someone is ordered to murder someone, they have the choice not too.
Skinner would say that I was conditioned to go to school. It wasn't actually a choice I had but it was something that has become ingrained in my mind. Satre would say I always have the choice to go to school. Another example of something Satre would say I chose was to present my econ presentation, even though it was required for my grade. I chose to present, and I could have chosen to not do so. I think that almost everything is a choice we can make (Satre) but I think that we are conditioned to lean more towards certain decisions (Skinner) so both have valid points. I'd probably lean more towards Satre though because we always CAN make the choice.
I made the decision to take the ACT, which, obviously, I could have chosen not to do. However, this can be seen as a result of conditioning in that my parents are college graduates and have been sending me messages about the importance of going college for my entire life. This includes the importance of standardized testing, which will help me get into college. My parents greatly influenced my decision. I believe I have free will when I choose what people in my life to be friendly to and who to avoid. Who I spend my time with is entirely my choice - only I can decide what kind of personalities go well with mine. I lean toward free will more than determinism, maybe because the idea of having no control over my life frightens me. I think that there are always factors that influence our decisions, but these factors do not have complete control over us. As Sartre says, we always have the power to say no. Some choices are more obvious because the alternatives would lead to terrible consequences, but there is still always a choice. Only we can make that choice - no one else makes it for us.
A time where i have made a choice that i thought was a choice, but it was really just conditioning was when i went to church last weekend. Although i do technically have the choice to not go, or to do something else besides church during that time, i would rather go to the service then deal with my mothers reaction. I was conditioned to choose to go to church because i don't like the other outcomes and i'm pretty sure my mother would make me go. One decision i do think that i had control over was where i decided to go to college. I don't think that i was destined to go to one school this whole time and that all of my college visits were wasted effort because i really do think that they helped me to come to my choice. I actually decided on a college and then change my mind, so i wouldn't think that i was meant to be somewhere from the very beginning. I most agree with the philosophy that we really do have free will and everything we do is a choice. i think that people like to use the excuse of their surroundings or circumstances to excuse their behavior but everyone makes independent choices that effect their lives.
A decision I made that fit in with Skinner's philosophies was when I decided to go to school today. I think that I had control over this decision, but Skinenr would say due to my upbringing of importance of education and my attendance record Skinner would say that I was destined to go to school and the decision was already made for me as a response to my background. An existentialist decision I made yesterday was when I decided to go to the Orchestra Concert because Satre would say I had free will to do whatever I wanted at that time but I chose to do that certain activity.
Every morning I decide to go to school and attend classes. This is a result of behavioral conditioning. My parents have taught me that school is important and society has as well. College is portrayed by society as essential and helpful for a job. Because of these influences and the way I was brought up, I choose to attend school every morning. I know the consequences of not attending, and have decided that the benefits are greater than these consequences.
In school, I also choose to procrastinate at times. This is a decision of my own choosing. I could decide to say no to procrastination because of Sartre's free will argument. I could choose to not procrastinate, but unfortunately I often do the opposite of that.
I agree more with Skinner's argument. We are all influenced by society and by behavioral conditioning. Our parents teach us right and wrong, along with peers and teachers. All of these have a huge influence on our thought patterns and decisions. While we can choose to go against the mold and pick something different than what we've been trained to, most often we will decide what we've been taught.
Skinner's: Through out my life I have always had the mind frame to be a good student: turn in my homework, be on time to class, study for tests. I have been programed to think this way by growing up watching my sister. I saw how when she did not do well at school she got "talked to" by my dad, but if she excelled she would be rewarded. I then learned through my own experiences. When I received a good grade at school I was at first rewarded with money or an out to eat meal of my choice. Then as the years went on, I trained and punished myself. If I got a bad grade, I would be disappointed more than my parents.
Sartre: I have many choices in my life. I made small decisions in the day. When I should wake up. What I should wear today. What I should eat. The biggest decisions I get to make is if I am going to go to church. I choose to partake in church events on monday, tuesday, and wednesday. I choose to wake up early on Sunday to sing in chapel. I use my free will to do what I like to do.
I agree more with Sartre. I believe I have a choice to do what I want to do in my life. Even though I am trained, I chose to be trained. I chose to be afraid of the consequences of getting a bad grade. I chose to want to get good grades. I choose what I want to do in my life everyday. Without free will it takes away the meaning of life.
One decision I made that really wasn't my decision would be when my brother asked me to do a favor for him the other day, I just did it without thinking. I put down what I was doing prior to him calling and did what he asked. For me, because he is family and he can squash me with his might I did what he asked of me. Now that I think about it, I never consciously made the decision to do so.
A choice in which I made my own with free will was just a few days ago when I was invited on a camping trip. My friends wanted me to go but my mom didn't. She gave me the final decision. I view this as a pretty good example because I had multiple types of influences and they were telling me to do different things. I might have been influenced more one way or the other, but the choice was ultimately mine.
I agree with Sartre more than Skinner. I totally understand Skinner and I think there is some truth in his theory but I believe we have more control over our actions than we might know. Maybe it's a comfort thing, that I just want to believe I have power. Regardless, I think it's a total cop-out for people to say that they had no control over their actions and that they were just influenced. Although our environment can be very very influential over people, I do think every person has the capacity to overcome their environment.
A decision I made as the result of behavioral conditioning is the breakfast that I chose to eat today. My parents only have one cereal in the house, and I have eaten that cereal almost everyday for my life. The choice was made before I woke up, I would be eating Lucky Charms for breakfast. My clothing choice today was an example of free will. I had no idea what I wanted to wear, so I looked in my dresser, and saw my green shirt, and my black shirt, but I chose to wear my green shirt. I could have worn my black shirt, but I did not. I think that I agree with Skinner more though. The things that we have experienced in our lives influence our decisions, and the location and mood we are in have everything to do with our choices. Although there are some cases where free will choices exist, I think that often times our decisions are made before we really consider them. That is why I agree wih Skinner.
A decision that I made today was to go to school. This is an automatic response that I have developed throughout my life. I have been conditioned by my parents to think that school is important, and that I must go to school in order to learn. Society tells me that I need to have a high school diploma and a college degree in order to become a productive member of society. An example of a free will choice I had is what clothes I chose to put on this morning. If I had wanted to, I could have worn a parka and overalls to school today. But I chose to wear different clothes on my own initiative. No one told me what clothes I should wear today. I think it is something that I had absolute free will with. Overall, I tend to agree with Sartre's argument because I feel that people in general have free will over everything. It's true that I might have been conditioned to go to school, but in the end it is my choice to go to school or skip it. I am the one who weighs the advantages and disadvantages of my choices.
A "decision" that I made that was really just a response to behavioral conditioning was when I decided to brush my teeth this morning. While I had the decision of if I wanted to brush or not, my behavioral conditioning told me that it was necessary for me to brush my teeth this morning. If I did not brush my teeth than society would have frowned upon my decision.
An example of my free will was when I decided what I would eat for breakfast this morning. While I have been trained to be hungry and want to eat breakfast in the morning, and have been conditioned to want to eat certain foods in the morning, it was ultimately my decision to decide what type of food I wanted to eat. While my knowledge of the type of food may have aided my decision it was me who decided to pour a bowl of Granola this morning, instead of a bowl of Special K or Lucky Charms.
I think that I agree more with Skinner's argument that we are all influenced when we make decisions and that we, in very few situations, actually have a decision to make. When thinking about some of the decisions I have made in the last 24 hours, I have found that many of them were influenced by what I have learned growing up and by past experiences.
One decision I made that is an example of Skinner's argument is when I ate dinner last night. My parents brought home Chipotle and because I was hungry, and there was a burrito for me, I ate it because that is what I usually do when I am called to dinner.
An example of free will that I made, was today I had the choice of coming to first hour or staying home, because it was a hybrid class so it was my free will to either go to school or stay home and sleep in. I stayed home and slept in because I had the option to, and why not?
I think I agree with Sartre more than Skinner because I like the idea that I have the choice to do what I like because of free will, and not because my "decisions" are pre made and that what happens is bound to happen that way because of behavioral conditioning. The thought that what I do is bound to happen no matter what takes some of the excitement out of life in my opinion.
I decided to come to school this morning. This is because society decided that that is the only truly acceptable place for me to be as I am only sixteen (and three quarters) and contribute nothing to the economy compared to people who have jobs and all that jazz. An example of when I had free will is when I went to school today as well. This is free will because I could have decided to be a deviant and go against what society and past experiences have told me to do. I believe that everything is based on free will but many times free will is influenced by past experiences. So I guess that I believe a bit of each philosopher's argument, but I do not believe in anything being predetermined.
A decision I made based on behavioral conditioning would be during synchronized swimming sections I took my time on my figures. We are told to have an even tempo and control the movements we are doing. The meet went well because I followed what I was conditioned to do thanks to all of the practice time we spend on doing them. A decision based on free will is my choosing not to eat breakfast. I consistently make the choice not to because I don't have time in the morning. There are some mornings when I will, but most of the time I don't. Although one can argue that humans are conditioned to eat breakfast, we choose not to and break the pattern. I agree with both of the ideas because I feel that humans use them everyday. There is not right or wrong way to follow through with decisions, you just do it based on what you feel you've been conditioned to do, or you do what you want.
An example of decision I have made because of behavioral conditioning would be going to school everyday. This is behavioral conditioning because society has told me that if I do not go to school I will be in trouble. Also, many important people in my life tell me that it is good to go to school like my family. It wasn't really my choice because I have been pushed in that direction. The opposite of behavioral conditioning is free will, where I have the choice to do what ever I want. An example of free will would be when I choose what I want to wear in the morning. Do I want to wear jeans or cargo shorts or just not wear anything at all? I agree more with Skinner because I believe that we are kind of lead into what we choose but I do not believe that should be an excuse to our actions like with that Nazis saying they were just following orders.
An example of a decision that I made purely out of conditioning was saying hi to certain friends in the hallway as I entered into the school this morning, this was a free will decision that I made purely out of continued repetition and conditioning. One example of when I had free will was when I was up late writing my philosophy paper and decided to do some extra polishing, this was after I had already met my obligation and completed the entirety of the paper, therefore to stay up an extra half hour and work on polishing the content was an act of free will that I chose to do on my own. I personally tend to agree with Skinner's arguments and thoughts about the matter, that people are conditioned when they are easily impressionable to adopt certain actions, paradigms, or ideals. Through conditioning and various stimuli, people learn more strongly one way or another, and this is why I side more with Skinner's side of things.
Today, I had to respond to the stimuli of a good smelling odor wafting towards my nose as I lay on my bed, half awake. The behavior that came from that was that I was "inspired" to get up, get dressed, prepare my goods, and go into the kitchen to see "what's cooking." Thus, because of the good smell of food coming from the kitchen, my stomach reacted to this by telling my mind that it was hungry, and thus I got up and everything to go eat. I had the free will of coming to school today. I did not have to if I did not want to. I could've skipped, or told my mother to call me out because either way, I have a field trip to go to right away after school. I could have used the excuse that I still had to pack my things or something. But no, I came to school, my choice entirely.
I agree with Sartre's philosophy on free will. I feel that everything I do is based on choices that I make, not based off of previous decisions from earlier. Everyday is a new day, with new decisions and a way of thinking. It's like a river, the water keeps on moving.
A decision I made that goes along with Skinner's ideas was to wake up this morning. I did decide what time to wake up this morning, but i would have eventually waken up.This morning I used free will to go to school and get here on time. I think that Skinner's philosophy makes more sense because I know that I have no control over weather or not I wake up or not, or if the sun comes up every day. I just do not really think that Sartre's ideas of free will makes complete sense because people can not control every part of life.
When I say "please," "thank you," and "hello" in response to people, this is a response to conditioning. I have been trained to respond to other people's responses and it becomes a habit. When I choose to practice certain piano pieces, I am making a choice of whether to practice the pieces I am working on or if I should practice sight-reading. I agree with Satre's argument because I think we have free will to make decisions. I think the fact that people are rational explains why many of people's actions are predictable and seem determined. Despite many things being predictable, I think that people basically have free will because rationality explains the predictability and otherwise there is no proof of laws that determine our actions. I also think that there are too many different circumstances and situations for a deterministic view to work.
A decision I made that influenced by a stimuli is doing this assignment. I have been taught to do my work and homework through my whole life. If I don’t do it, then there is a consequence that I don’t want to suffer through. Ever since I was in kindergarten, teachers have been telling me to get my work done or else I won’t get credit. I had free will this morning when I put my shirt on. I could have put on any shirt I wanted but I chose the one I am wearing now for a number of reasons. It was totally my decision which shirt I wanted to wear, and although my choices were limited, I still had free will to chose my shirt. I agree more with Sartre. I think we have the option to make our own choices whenever we want.
A decision that I have made that is more along the lines of free will would be my choice to wear what I am wearing today. An example of a more determinist decision that I have made would be my choice to go to the bathroom. I think this is more along the lines of determinism because no matter if I wanted to go or not my body has to get rid of the bad stuff some how. I agree more with Sartre's argument because I think that you may have influences in your life but ultimately it is your choice on how you want to run your life.
When i decide how long to sleep in on the weekends i feel like I'm making a free willed choice to sleep in. But according to Skinner, who believes in determinism, would argue that i slept in because thats the plan that was set there for me, my determined way of living. He might also elaborate on how everyone in my life who kept me up or who woke me up was all apart of a determinism way, in which all of their lives were predetermined by casual laws.
Satre on the other hand would say that it was my free will to sleep in. Maybe i missed breakfast, maybe i forgot to let the dog out, Satre would say that that was my choice and my responsibility and that i can't go blaming my bad choice on others. He would also note that my choice and free will would probably bring me suffering. Since despair and anguish comes from the awareness of being free.
It's odd because i believe in both. Most of my morals and thought processes come from my religious background, which is Christianity. I feel like that lays somewhere in the middle of both of these. In the bible it says, "I have a plan for you, says the Lord." But at the same time we also know that God gave us free will for a reason. SO i feel like i know that i have free will and i know how that effects my life, but at the same time i know that i have a God who is out there planning my life and possibly predetermining things.
Today when I woke up I made the decision of coming to school. I was able to make that decision myself. If I didn't want to come then I had the free will to decide that knowing there would be consequences if I didn't. I agree more with Skinner because I like the idea of being able to do what you want when you want.
I decided to go to school today. This could be argued not to be decision, because I have gone to school all of my life. Also,today is a Friday and I anticipate enjoyable activities in school today. Further, my parents believe it is very important to have an education, and they have raised me to have this belief. Lastly, if I didn't go to school today, my parents would ground me so thoroughly that I would be lucky to ever see the light of day again. The conclusion of all this results is the only sensible thing for me to do would be to go to school.
On the other hand, this morning I had raisin bran and toast for breakfast. There is no particular reason for me to have chosen this. I like raisin bran, but I believe cheerios also has its merits. Furthermore, I sometimes enjoy a bagel as opposed to toast. I could have chosen either rationally. I chose raisin bran and toast.
I agree more with Sartre and his idea of free will. Skinner could be right fairly easily- but I am a fan of philosophy as applied to our modern life with the intent of making it better. Skinner just sounds like an excuse to point the finger of blame at someone else rather than taking responsibilities for our own actions. The effect of the environment on our actions is obvious, we don't need a philosopher to point this out. Free will makes people responsible for their own actions, thoughts and feelings. People need to learn to question their environment rather than just accepting everything as the truth.
One experience I had where I had behavioral conditioning is when I went to school today, although I don't have to go, I did because I do it daily. I know if I don't show up, there will be consequences for it. I don't have a lot of time in my day, nor want to serve an eighty-four in detention.
A choice I made that was free will was waking up late. I like to sleep in, so I made the decision to press the snooze on my alarm clock.
Personally, I agree with both of the philosophers. I think we are destined to do some things, while having a bit of free will to do some others. If I had to pick and choose one though, it would have to be Skinners. I chose this one because I think it is a really interesting way of looking at the things we do. I also think that there are some things that we just can't control.
A recent decision that I made that was simply a response to stimuli and behavioral conditioning was bringing my schedule to work yesterday. Although I didn't technically have to do it, I felt as though I had because if I didn't, I wouldn't have grad party days off and I would probably end up upsetting a lot of people. Even though I didn't want to bring my schedule in because my boss always looks upset at me, I did it anyway because it was the right thing to do for my own life, and because of my surroundings and what I have learned in the past, I knew it was something that needed to be done.
An example of when I had free will was when I decided on what to wear this morning. As long as I wore something, I knew I would be fine. I had the choice to wear nicer clothes or just a sweatshirt, but I had free will on what to wear.
I agree more with Satre's argument. I think that generally we have free will to do whatever we want. Although sometimes I think we have to do things, at the end of the day we ultimately have free will.
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