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In recent decades, research on the inner workings of the brain has helped to resolve the nature-nurture debate-and has dealt a further blow to the idea of free will. Whether scientists supported one, the other, or a mix of both, they increasingly assumed that our deeds must be determined by something.
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Are our actions the unfolding effect of our genetics? Or the outcome of what has been imprinted on us by the environment? Impressive evidence accumulated for the importance of each factor. Galton launched a debate that raged throughout the 20th century over nature versus nurture.
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So our ability to choose our fate is not free, but depends on our biological inheritance.Ĭheck out more from this issue and find your next story to read. But we use those faculties-which some people have to a greater degree than others-to make decisions. Shortly after Darwin put forth his theory of evolution, his cousin Sir Francis Galton began to draw out the implications: If we have evolved, then mental faculties like intelligence must be hereditary. This shift in perception is the continuation of an intellectual revolution that began about 150 years ago, when Charles Darwin first published On the Origin of Species. The sciences have grown steadily bolder in their claim that all human behavior can be explained through the clockwork laws of cause and effect. As Barack Obama wrote in The Audacity of Hope, American “values are rooted in a basic optimism about life and a faith in free will.” It permeates the popular culture and underpins the American dream-the belief that anyone can make something of themselves no matter what their start in life. Today, the assumption of free will runs through every aspect of American politics, from welfare provision to criminal law. If we are not free to choose, he argued, then it would make no sense to say we ought to choose the path of righteousness. The great Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant reaffirmed this link between freedom and goodness. In the Christian tradition, this is known as “moral liberty”-the capacity to discern and pursue the good, instead of merely being compelled by appetites and desires. Our codes of ethics, for example, assume that we can freely choose between right and wrong. However, sway suggests the extent of exercised power or influence.F or centuries, philosophers and theologians have almost unanimously held that civilization as we know it depends on a widespread belief in free will-and that losing this belief could be calamitous. In some situations, the words sway and power are roughly equivalent. The bureau having jurisdiction over parks Where would sway be a reasonable alternative to power? The synonyms jurisdiction and power are sometimes interchangeable, but jurisdiction applies to official power exercised within prescribed limits. Given dominion over all the animals When could jurisdiction be used to replace power? Specifically, dominion stresses sovereign power or supreme authority. The words dominion and power are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. You are responsible for the students under your control In what contexts can dominion take the place of power? The meanings of control and power largely overlap however, control stresses the power to direct and restrain. The army officer in command When would control be a good substitute for power? While in some cases nearly identical to power, command implies the power to make arbitrary decisions and compel obedience. Granted the authority to manage her estate When might command be a better fit than power? The power to mold public opinion When can authority be used instead of power?Īlthough the words authority and power have much in common, authority implies power for a specific purpose within specified limits. While all these words mean "the right to govern or rule or determine," power implies possession of ability to wield force, authority, or influence. Some common synonyms of power are authority, command, control, dominion, jurisdiction, and sway. Frequently Asked Questions About power How does the noun power contrast with its synonyms?