1986 - Capitalism versus Socialism

Closing Statements: Harry Binswanger

 
 
 

Mr. Binswanger remarks on Mr. Hitchens seeming to conflict with his own comments on determinism and makes a quick contrast with the concept of free will and the ability to think and decide for oneself                    

 
 
 
 

HARRY BINSWANGER - CLOSING COMMENTS

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Harry Binswanger:   I just want to briefly remark on the level we're getting down to is now a metaphysical and epistemological which is very good, it's a good sign. The earlier statement, now reiterated by Mr. Hitchens, that he's not a determinist, seems to fly in the face of what he just said which I take as strict determinism.

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(LCW)   I fail to see where Mr. Hitchens presented, in any capacity, a scenario where the socialist is allowed any free will to make their own decisions at all, and yet he undermines determinism with nothing but deterministic observations, always referring to history as his guide, with no other options but those inferred by history itself. More than a little confusing, not to mention frustrating.

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(HB)   It does not cease to be determinism if you say man makes history and then add to it, of course, what he makes of history he had to make of history. Determinism is precisely that view that human actions certainly have effects but determinism claims that the causes are necessary, so that in a certain situation only one result is possible.

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(LCW)   Determinism seems to suggest, neigh, demand, that all causes come from historical actions and circumstances, no matter what man adds to the scenario. I think this is demonstrably false. If only one result is possible, we are only talking fate, but actual history, while pushed in certain directions, has shown that multiple alternatives await at each junction. Of course, history can only show the actual results, and not possibilities, because they did, in fact, never come to be. Whatever could you expect from history then, multiple choice? I think not.

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(HB)   If you're here tonight determinism says you had to be. We assert free will we assert that you have particularly the free will to use your mind to think for yourself or not, and that's why we reject the entire methodology of the socialist side in this debate, the idea of historical analysis, that capitalism is not an idea and so forth. It's basically an issue of free will versus determinism.

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(LCW)   Complete rejection of the theory and the practice. And history did not make that decision, I was able to come to that conclusion on its own merits, based on my own perspectives based on my own philosophy. No one can take that from me.

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