RELIGION AND MORALITY 331the argument is not complete until we have considered them. We can
begin this process by asking: if determinism were true, how might
things work? For the sake of the argument, suppose that a human
person is made up of a mind or soul and a body. Consider some human
person Jon. Jon’s states at any given time T will be just all the states that
Jon’s body is in at T plus all the states that Jon’s mind is in at T. These
states, let us say, are states internal to Jon at T. The states that things
other than Jon is in at T are states external to Jon at T. Again for the
sake of the argument,^21 assume that a cause always immediately
precedes its effect. Then (say) Jon’s smiling at T can be determined by
only states internal to Jon at T-1, or only by states external to Jon at T-
1, or by a combination of internal and external states at T-1.
Among the external states, some will be states of conscious agents
who affect Jon by way of endeavoring to get Jon to behave as those
agents want Jon to behave, believe it good that Jon behave, and the like.
Among Jon’s internal states will be conscious states of Jon himself that
constitute Jon’s own intentions, motives, purposes, and the like,
regarding how he shall behave.^22 If Jon is an agent, then Jon has
conscious internal states and if other agents want to affect Jon’s
behavior there will be external conscious states regarding Jon’s
behavior. If determinism is true, then, how things work (using the
language just explained) is this. Suppose that at time T Jon smiles at Sue
to let her know he is glad to see her. Perhaps he is tired and must make a
conscious effort to smile at anyone; perhaps he simply unreflectively
smiles. But in any case he smiles and his smiling is an action on his part
which he intentionally performs.
Jon’s smiling, of course, is but a single, simple example of what, if
determinism is true, is true of all thoughts and actions whatever. Hence
it is appropriate to infer general conclusions from this single case, since
the single case is an arbitrarily selected example. If determinism is true,
perhaps Jon’s smiling at Sue at time T must have a cause of one or
another of these sorts. Each scenario is intended to state the entire set of
causes – conditions sufficient for the effect to occur.^23
Scenario 1: A set of non-conscious states internal to Jon at T-1.
Scenario 2: A set of conscious states internal to Jon at T-1.
Scenario 3: A set of states internal to Jon at T-1, some of which are
conscious and some of which are not.
Scenario 4: A set of non-conscious states external to Jon at T-1.
Scenario 5: A set of conscious states external to Jon at T-1.
Scenario 6: A set of states external to Jon at T-1, some of which are
conscious and some of which are not.^24