How moral responsibility emerges from a deterministic world
Van Rooyen, Herman
Humans are only one of many species that populate the earth. Based on the way they have
taken command of natural resources and rearranged the surface of the earth with a network of
cities, roads, infrastructure and technology, they seem to have become the dominant and
leading species alive. However, on the evolutionary scale of organic progression they are
actually quite young. In this dissertation, a philosophical account will be given of how a
deterministic cosmos managed to become partly alive. It will be shown how it harbours within
itself the peculiar ability to evolve material and organic structures of high complexity – and
how those structures became alive, self-conscious and morally responsive. It will be argued
that humans have evolved within the bosom of the cosmos on account of intricate laws to
become teleological agents of high advancement. That is, they represent those parts of the
cosmos that can reflect upon its own existence, acquire knowledge of its nature and project it towards a future state of being.; Die mensdom is maar een van verskeie spesies wat die aarde bewoon. Gebaseer op die wyse
waarop hulle egter beheer neem oor al die natuurlike hulpbronne en die oppervlak van die aarde
herorganiseer deur reuse stede, kommunikasienetwerke, infrastruktuur en tegnologie tot stand
te bring, blyk dit asof hulle die dominante spesie is. Tog, op die evolusionêre skaal van
organiese ontwikkeling is hulle maar ʼn redelike onlangse toevoeging. In hierdie verhandeling
word daar ʼn filosofiese beskrywing gegee van hoe ʼn deterministiese kosmos dit kon regkry om
gedeeltelik lewendig te word. Daar word gedemonstreer hoe die kosmos in sigself die
besonderse vermoë het om materiële en organiese strukture van hoë kompleksiteit te produseer – en hoe hierdie strukture lewendig, selfbewus en moreel aktief raak. Dit word geargumenteer
dat die mens in die boesem van die kosmos ontwikkel het deur middel van inherente
natuurwette om uiteindelik teleologiese agente van ʼn hoë orde te wees. Hulle verteenwoordig
dus daardie besonderse gedeelte van die kosmos wat oor hul eie bestaan kan nadink, wat kennis
oor hul unieke aard kan ontwikkel en daaruit ʼn toekomsvisie projekteer.
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