The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau is a group of people who adjust or keep people on the plan for their life. They are following a written plan that was made by the Chairman. The workers in the Adjustment Bureau are not suppose to be known to the people whom they are tracking, but this is what went wrong in David’s case. David discovered the Adjustment Bureau because the person assigned to his case, Henry, made a mistake. David realises his life has been planned out and decided to go against that plan with Elise, the girl he is in love with. David and Elise met by chance more than once. They also had a strong connection because their previous revisions of their plans had them being in love. I found this very interesting since both of their plans had been revised and it ultimately changed their planned future, but it didn’t change the internal drive they had for each other. In the end, David and Elise decided the plan for their life and not the one set for them.

The character of David in this movie can be interpreted as free will. David knew about the plan for his life, becoming the President of the United States, but he went against it and made his own decisions. Free will is exactly that; you make your own decisions for your own life. David made the decision of continuing to pursue Elise even though Richerson, an Adjustment Bureau worker, told him it wasn’t in his life plan. David was so determined to be with her that he even convinced the Chairman of it. The Chairman, in the end, was so inspired by their determination that he erased both of their plans to be a blank one together.

The Adjustment Bureau itself represents determinism as well as the Chairman. The Chairman decides the plans, and the Adjustment Bureau’s job is to follow though with those plans. The Chairman can be viewed as God because he/she was described as someone that everyone meets in their life, but no one knows when they are meeting him/her. The Chairman is also a god-like figure because no one understands the reasonings behind the plans he/she makes. Theoretical determinism can therefore be used to describe the Adjustment Bureau because all of the plans they have are determined by their God, which is the Chairman.

Richardson is one of the workers in the Adjustment Bureau, and he also represents determinism. He follows the plan no matter what and he never questions it. On the other hand, Harry of the Adjustment Bureau represents more of a compatibilism point of view. He mixes his emotions and the ones of his case with the plan set by the chairman. He feels that it isn’t right that David and Elise cannot be together just because it isn’t in the plan. Harry helps David get his girl and he feels that it’s more important to do that than the follow the plan, in that situation. He also does not hinder David’s free will and allows him to follow the decisions he feels that he should make.

Blog Post Religion Online February 12 , 2016

In movie, The Adjustment Bureau we see an exaggerated example of what it looks like to have your life determined by a higher power. This closely relates to ideologies of determinism, which is the idea that all of our choices to some degree are decided before we even make them. In David’s case, every event in his life and his family’s life is what determined what made him want to become a senator and eventually president. The reason that David wanted to become a senator is because his father brought him on a trip to the capital after he had lost both his mother and brother. This traumatic event is what “nudged” David into his path of wanting to be a senator. It becomes clear though that the Adjustment Bureau does not have full control over everyone and what they do.

While the movie mostly points towards more of determinism for writing the scrip of life, I would argue that there is some form of compatibilist. The adjustment bureau has a path that they want everyone to follow and they “nudge” people when they feel as though they have gotten off track too much. However, these stories change over time. When Harry and another member of the adjustment bureau are sitting in a room talking about why David is getting so off track from his path there is a mention that the plan for David wasn’t always for him an Elise not to be together. In fact, they were supposed to be together up until recently. We find out that these impressions from a past path are what are making David desire to be with Elise. While this would still suggest that there is a determined path for David it also shows how the story can change which suggest more of a compatibilist approach. Another example of this is when the adjustment bureau did not account for David and Elise meeting once again, “by chance”, on the bus. That would suggest that aspects of the plan are constantly being changed and manipulated by other forces of free will.

At the end of the movie, we see how David was eventually able to convince the chairman into letting him stay with Elise. I saw this as another example of the aspects of free will that David had. If he did not have some allowance of free will he wouldn’t have been able to run around and convince Elise to come with him and convince the chairman to change his story. David had a path, but he could change it based off of events that changed him path. In the end the movie shows that we have a path built off of prior events in our life, similar to Newtonian determinism, but that we also have the ability to make smaller choices in our lives and even change them drastically if we want.

Group Meeting #2

Determinism, Free Will, & Compatibilism

The theory that resonates most with my personal beliefs is compatibilism.  Several different aspects of determinism made sense to me, yet free will is something I’ve always believed in, as we make our decisions based on our own opinions in accordance with the past and our individual environments.

I see the sense behind biological and cosmological determinism; however, they don’t fully align with my understanding.  Biological determinism seems too intricate in its control over decisions, not allowing for outside circumstances to influence our decisions or behavior.  Cosmological determinism, on the other end of the spectrum, seems very broad.  Natural disasters obviously have massive influence on many lives, but only rarely does it affect one’s choices throughout their entire life.  However, I see the logic behind it.  Major catastrophes and our own genetics change our lives to a certain extent.  However, this changes from person to person, and I believe our free will affects how each of us may handle these circumstances.

I strongly relate to the Newtonian and cultural forms of determinism, mostly because they seem free will related to me.  Newtonian determinism allows for multiple branches and different potential decisions to be made.  Cultural determinism is more of a choice to assimilate to or rebel against our culture or family.  These two forms of determinism seem to be more like influencers of free will than pre-determined choices.

Of the different forms of determinism, I most agree with theological determinism.  I’ve always believed that God orchestrates His plan in our lives and that “everything happens for a purpose,” just as the article explained.  However, I disagree with the idea of God as a micromanager.  The belief that He controls or punishes every insignificant detail of our lives seems a little Puritan-esque in my opinion.

Free will, on the other hand, is a concept that makes perfect sense to me.  As humans, we are responsible for our own decisions and have the freedom to make them.  My only arguing belief is that God gave us this ability, and has a plan for us, and if we stray He can still use our choices for His purpose.

Because of my opinion that both free will and determinism can exist without cancelling each other out, as the article described it, I would consider myself a compatibilist.  The two concepts are not mutually exclusive, which is why incompatibilism makes no sense to me.  I think that some choices we make may be pre-determined, but our free will is a major factor in our lives.  Like in the poker example, the situations we’re born into are the hand we are dealt.  It’s not something we can change.  The way that we decide to play our hand is our free will.  Compatibilism seems the most sensible.  However, its weaknesses include every individual’s differing opinion.  Our own beliefs on free will versus determinism play a large role in the choices we make.  There’s also the debate on the availability of free action, and under what circumstances we must be held morally responsible for said actions.  However, based on my own life experiences, it makes the most sense to me that both determinism and free will play a large part in my life.

Determinism or Free Will?

Compatibilism is the most sensible position to take on this matter, in my opinion. I view the things happening around me and in my life to be determined by God, but he does lay out choices for me along the way. So, compatibilism makes sense to me because it is when free will and determinism can coexist, so to speak. With these two drastically different concepts coexisting, I think that God has several options for my life. I believe that God does have a plan for my life, but along the way he leaves certain choices up to me to decide.

Determinism can be defined as your life is set, and these predetermined things will happen whether you realize it or not. I see determinism as God having a plan for your life; I believe that everyone has a purpose, and that purpose for your life is in God’s hands. For me, God determined from the beginning that I would have an interest in the sciences, or that I would really enjoy working with children. Both of these areas in my life were formed because of God’s plan. This can also be described as natural traits or gifts that I believe God gave me. Even though I have made choices in my life to learn more about biology or to be a leader for children at church, God had that planned for me, and it is a part of my personality to find interest in those things.

Now, I did state that compatibilism is the stance I take, so with that there is also free will. Free will can be defined as you're making the choices for your own life. I think God gives you options in the path of your life that he allows you to make. A personal example is when I was deciding what college to attend. I had narrowed down my options to Belmont and Samford, and they looked equal in my mind. God had given me the choice of attending either one of those schools, and I choose to attend Belmont. Looking back on it now, I see that Belmont truly is the best place for me to attend undergrad, and by doing so I realize that Samford probably wouldn’t have affected me as much as Belmont has. This is where I am still trying to figure out compatibilism. Did God know that I was going to attend Belmont, and that it would end up helping me in the best way? Did God know in that moment of decision senior year, but he still gave me the options?

The portion of compatibilism that I am still trying to figure out or even if I can figure out is what is predetermined and what is my choice. Does God already know the choices I will make? If so, what did God truly determine for me, and what did I decide for myself? As I try to understand these questions, I refer back to Genesis 2 when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. From the beginning, God gave humans free will. Eve made the decision to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge, and that decision caused her life to change drastically. Did God know that Eve would make this decision? With all these things being said, I believe that God has a plan for me and he gives me choices along the way.

Blog post Feb 5

Blog Post Religion Online February 5 , 2016

I found determinism to be a very interesting concept. I think that are decisions that me make now are certainly shaped by what has come before us. There are different aspects of it that I think make a lot of sense, while others seem to be to far of a stretch away from free will.

One kind of determinism that made a lot of sense was Newtonian determinism. The example given was someone who has a start by interning at a business on music row, who then goes part time, and eventually takes a full time position from someone who relocated. I think that thinking in this form of determinism is a good way of being deliberate and intention with ones actions. In a lot of ways the decisions you make now will determine where you are in years to come. It all builds on top of itself. One aspect of this that I’m choosing to over look is that I don’t think that those choices are already determined. I believe that there is still a level of control that an individual has when going forward in their life.

The other two aspects of determinism that made sense to me were Cosmological determinism (Human life is subject to higher forces in which we have no control) and Cultural Determinism (We are a product of our immediate culture). The reason why a pair these two together is because aspects of both have logical aspects in our present society. For example, There are natural disasters that happen all the time that completely shape the lives of people who are effected. These are also events that we cannot control or sometimes even predict. This is also true for cultural Determinism when looking at people’s socioeconomic position. No one is able to choose the economic position that they are born into, and upward mobility is hard in America. Therefore, in some ways people’s decisions are deeply impacted by their culture without even being aware of it.

While I do think that all these aspects of determinism play key rolls in the path of our lives I don’t choose to believe that they have full control over the decisions in our lives. Part of what makes us human is our ability to make decisions. For that reason I think there is a very strong influence of free will in the paths our lives. For example, While the decisions in our past deeply influence the decisions in our future we may have a change of heart and decide to go in a completely different direction, or maybe that person who was born into a poor household with parents who were never there defeats all odds and goes to college and makes a living with his dream job. All of these aspects have great impact on our lives but I choose to think that we still have free will. For this reason, I think that my opinion can mostly be summed up into compatibilist due to its attempt to connect both determinism and free will.  

"Who is writing the script of my life? Who's to say what is right?"

Whenever I read the question, “Who is writing the script of my life,” I immediately think that God is. I grew up in a baptist church, so this is something I have been taught since I was young girl. Beyond being taught this, I also believe this to be true. I believe that God has a plan for my life, and that he is guiding me through it. Although, I believe that God gives me options and choices that I can make throughout my life, yet he is still in control. As humans, God gave us the ability to make our own choices. We do mess up and we do make the wrong decisions at times. But overall, I still believe that God is in control even when you feel like your life is out of control. Now by saying this, I do not know the reasonings behind events that happen in my life. I also believe that it is okay to not know the reasonings behind things. For me that the hardest part about this is trusting where God leads me. Like I said before, you don't know the reasoning behind things that happen in your life, because of this it can sometimes be hard to trust God. Especially when thing just are not going your way.

To beginning figuring out this question, I will need to read through the Bible and find the verses that apply to it. I also think that sermons and devotionals will be great resources for figuring out this question for my life. Sometimes God does not want us to know everything, so I need to be content when I do not find all the answers.

“Who’s to say what is right,” is a very interesting question. Disobeying the Ten Commandments is something I know is considered wrong. There are various behaviors that some people consider to be okay, but there are also people who consider those same behaviors to be wrong. This question is challenging because there are a lot of other grey areas associated with it. Due to the fact that we are all human and have all sinned, we are not fit to determine what is right and what is wrong. This is determined by God. Jesus was perfect. Jesus never sinned; therefore, he is the only one who is capable of saying what is wrong and what is right. As a Christian, I strive to be like Jesus and to never sin, but I am a human and I fall short.

The question, “Who’s to say what is right,” is one that I believe we, as humans, can never fully answer. For us, there are so many grey areas in life because we struggle with seeing the bigger picture. The Bible is also an excellent resource with many examples of right and wrong choices. We can always try to understand what is the right choice, but we will never be perfect. God is the only one who can determine what is right and what is wrong.