Human Freedom between the Fatalism of Religion, the Mechanism of Nature, and the Causality of Science

Determinism and Indeterminism in Modern and Contemporary Western Thought

Abstract

The aim of this research is to study the problem of freedom, from a philosophical point of view, and how it was influenced by the related major ideas and theories. These theories were either religious (such as algebra and choice) or scientific which states the notion of determinism or indeterminism. It also aims to find out how this relates to other problems, such as freedom of determination and responsibility. This researcher adopts an approach based on historical and comparative presentation, in order to identify the mutual influence between religions, religious Hermeneutics, scientific development and philosophical ideas, during the modern and contemporary period

Key words: Determinism, Indeterminism, freedom, mechanism.