The Two-‐Stage Solution to the Problem of Free Will
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Predeterminism and Moral Agency in the Hodayot
Predeterminism and Moral Agency in the Hodayot Carol A. Newsom 1 Introduction For reasons that are not yet entirely clear, sharp disagreements about pre- determinism and free will became a significant feature of Jewish theological stances in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Josephus provides the most ex- plicit consideration of these issues in ancient Jewish sources, as he attempts to distinguish the positions of the three major Jewish sects with respect to the philosophical category of “fate” (εἱμαρμένη). Josephus identifies the position of the Essenes as believing strongly in fate, to the apparent exclusion of free will (Ant. 13.172). Similarly, modern scholarly treatments of the Qumran yaḥad have acknowledged the very strong predeterminist element in their thinking, attested in a variety of sectarian or closely related texts.1 At the same time, there has been a degree of perplexity as to what to do with the obviously volun- tarist statements and assumptions that are present in these same documents. A variety of suggestions have been made, mostly to the effect that the sectar- ians were inconsistent or not fully systematic in their beliefs.2 This may in- deed be the case, though Jonathan Klawans argues that, properly understood, all deterministic systems are consistent with voluntarism in a rather minimal 1 I take the Qumran yaḥad movement to be Essene, though I consider it possible that the term “Essene” may also have referred to groups not formally part of the yaḥad. For examinations of the phenomenon of predestination in Qumran sectarian literature and closely related texts, see J. Licht, “The Concept of Free Will in the Writings of the Sect of the Judean Desert,” in Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Lectures Delivered at the Third Annual Conference (1957) in Memory of E. -
Strategies for the Latin American Left Problems of Autonomism by CLAUDIO KATZ
Strategies for the Latin American Left Problems of Autonomism by CLAUDIO KATZ SINCE THE mid-1990s, autonomist politics has gained influence in Latin America. Its theorists are attentively listened to and their practical proposals awaken great interest. But this scenario has begun to change with the appearance of new nationalist and center-left governments. The rise of Lula, Kirchner, and Tabaré, the increased strength of Chávez, the resurgence of Fidel, and the shift of López Obrador changes the playing field that favored the expansion of libertarian theories. The autonomists eschew political affiliation and ideological definition. They share feelings, attitudes, and projects, but they do not support a common doctrine. They broadcast a moral critique of capitalism from an anti-authoritarian perspective, rejecting all forms of leadership and state power. They use a libertarian language and defend autoorganización [self-organization], emphasizing values of solidarity and community. They question participation in mainstream institutions and encourage autogestión [self- management] in the economic sphere. But the autonomists are a very heterogeneous group and lack recognized spokespeople as common proponents of their vision. In order to frame the debate, it is necessary to select certain authors who express this political current’s most relevant theories. Zibechicocaleros [coca growers], and the Argentine piqueteros [the unemployed workers’ movement]. In terms of theory, Negri The Argentine laboratory The popular uprising of 2001–2003 in Argentina was a particularly relevant experience for the autonomists because they concluded that their project was beginning to take shape in the organizations emerging during this rebellion. They presented the neighborhood assemblies and the piquetero protests as examples of a new emancipatory autoorganización and extended this assessment to the bartering clubs (where workers and farmers exchanged goods and services without cash), the reoccupied factories, and the counter-cultural collectives. -
Exodus General Idea of the Revolution in the XXI Century
Exodus General Idea of the Revolution in the XXI Century Kevin A. Carson 2021 Contents Reviews 5 Abstract 6 Preface 7 Part One: Background 8 Chapter One: The Age of Mass and Maneuver 9 I. A Conflict of Visions .................................... 9 II. The Triumph of Mass in the Old Left .......................... 15 III. The Assault on Working Class Agency ......................... 42 IV. Workerism/Laborism .................................. 49 Chapter Two: Transition 52 I. Drastic Reductions in Necessary Outlays for the Means of Production . 52 II. The Network Revolution and the Imploding Cost of Coordination . 57 III. The Impotence of Enforcement, and Superiority of Circumvention to Resistance . 70 IV. Superior General Efficiency and Low Overhead .................... 74 V. Conclusion ......................................... 78 Part Two. The Age of Exodus 79 Chapter Three: Horizontalism and Self-Activity Over Vanguard Institutions 80 Introduction ......................................... 80 I. The New Left ........................................ 81 II. Autonomism ........................................ 90 III. The 1968 Movements and the Transition to Horizontalist Praxis . 98 IV. The Post-1994 Movements ................................ 100 Chapter Four: The Abandonment of Workerism 115 I. The Limited Relevance of Proletarianism in the Mass Production Age . 115 II. Technology and the Declining Relevance of Proletarianism . 116 III The Abandonment of Proletarianism by the New Left . 117 IV. The Abandonment of Workerism in Praxis . 127 Chapter Five: Evolutionary Transition Models 131 Introduction and Note on Terminology . 131 2 I. Comparison to Previous Systemic Transitions . 132 II. The Nature of Post-Capitalist Transition . 146 Chapter Six: Interstitial Development and Exodus over Insurrection 157 Introduction ......................................... 157 I. The Split Within Autonomism .............................. 159 II. The Shift From the Factory to Society as the Main Locus of Productivity . -
Nöroetik Prensipler 5
Türk Dünyası Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi Sinir Bilim Dergisi No. 2018/1-2 B ö l ü m Nöroetik Prensipler 5 Etik ilkeler konusunda öneriler Etiksel kavramları daha somut boyuta getirerek prensiplerin ilkeleştirilmesi hedeflenmiştir. öroetik konusunda etiksel anlamda ilkeleşme, tüm insanı ve insanlığı kapsadığı için, tüm etik ilkeleri bünyesinde toplamaktadır. N Nöroetik olarak konunun yeniden gözden geçirilmesi ve ilkeleştirilmesi yukarıdaki kapsam altında gerekli olmadığı anlaşılacaktır. Ancak, olayın özetlenmesi açısından ilkelerde toparlamanın mümkün olabileceği varsayılmaktadır. Her bir yaklaşımda belirli esasların oluşturulması önceliklidir. Bir konu ele alınırken, o konuda bilgi sorgulaması öncesinde, belirli bir planın yapılması gerekir. Planlama olmadan rastgele alınan bilgiler, belirli bir bilgi kirliliğine neden olabilecektir. Birbiri ile çelişen durumlar ve bilgileri çözmek imkansızlaştığı gibi, belirli sorunlara da neden olabilecektir. Bu açıdan nöroetik kavramı üzerinde değinilmeden önce, bu konuda temel yaklaşımlar, belirli bir felsefe içinde ele alınmasını gerekli kılmaktadır. Öncelikle konuyu ele alma biçimi, olayı yrumlama ve algılama düzeyi ortaya konulmalıdır. Bu amaçla nöroetik konusunda bir genel yaklaşım esasları oluşturulmaya çalışılmıştır. Aşağıda bir ilkeleme çalışması görülecektir. Nöroetik Prensipler/İlkeler TANIMLAMALAR Etik Tıp Bilimi temelde insanı birey olarak ele almakta ve onun haklarının öncelikli olduğu ve otonomisinin her türlü durumda korunmasının hukuksal açıdan da ilke olarak ele alınması gerektiğinin bilincindedir. Sayfa. 252 Türk Dünyası Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi Sinir Bilim Dergisi No. 2018/1-2 Birey, insan olmanın gerektiği modelinde, ruhsal, sosyal ve kültürel anlamda da toplumsal bir kişiliği olduğunun kavramı olarak da algılanmalıdır. Hekimlik mesleği, bireyin özerkliği ve kendi haklarını belirleme çerçevesinde, tıp biliminin uygulanması yanında sanatsal ve felsefe bilimler anlamında da bir bütünlüğü gerekli kılmaktadır. Tüm diğer özellikler hukuksal esaslar yanında etik ilkeler boyutunda da olmalıdır. -
Interpreting Marx's Theory of the State and Opposition to Anarchism
Interpreting Marx's Theory of the State and Opposition to Anarchism Though Marx intended to dedicate a volume of Capital to the question of 'the State', he died before he could even begin that work. We are, therefore, left to reconstruct the 'Marxist theory of the state' from scattered references littered throughout Marx and Engels' collected works. My analysis investigates the shifts and contradictions in their thought, as well as the utility these contradictions served in misrepresenting the anarchist alternative. By Matthew Crossin “… no state, howsoever democratic its forms, not even the reddest political republic… is capable of giving the people what they need: the free organisation of their own interests from below upward…" - Mikhail Bakunin, Statism and Anarchy, p. 24 “[With the abolition of classes] the power of the State, which serves to keep the great majority of the producers under the yoke of the numerically small exploiting minority, disappears, and the functions of government are transformed into simple administrative functions. [The anarchists] put matters the other way round…” - Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels, Fictitious Splits in the International, p. 74 1 Marxism, Anarchism, and the State The purpose of this essay is to reassess the views of Karl Marx, his close partner Friedrich Engels, and their anarchist contemporaries on the crucial question of ‘the State’.2 Specifically, I contend that dominant interpretations of Marx have unsatisfactorily addressed his varied and contradictory analysis of the State; its role (if any) in the construction of a socialist society; and the ways in which this has both overlapped and come into conflict with the anarchist view. -
Free Will of an Ontologically Open Mind
Free Will of an Ontologically Open Mind Jan Scheffel Division of Fusion Plasma Physics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden, [email protected] Abstract The problem of free will has persistently resisted a solution throughout centuries. There is reason to believe that new elements need to be introduced into the analysis in order to make progress. In the present physicalist approach, these elements are emergence and information theory in relation to universal limits set by quantum physics. Furthermore, the common, but vague, characterization of having free will as "being able to act differently" is, in the spirit of Carnap, rephrased into an explicatum more suitable for formal analysis. It is argued that the mind is an ’ontologically open’ system; a causal high-level system, the future of which cannot be reduced to the states of its associated low-level neural systems, not even if it is rendered physically closed. We believe that a positive answer to the question of free will is outlined. Downward causation is supported and Kim’s problem of causal overdetermination is resolved. Keywords Free will, determinism, downward causation, emergence, ontologically open, mind-body problem, consciousness, subconsciousness. 1 Introduction and background Must we have the thoughts we have? Do our thoughts only happen, rather than being created by ourselves? Does determinism hold our will into an iron grip? The free will problem presumably is the most important existential problem and has generated shelf kilometers of literature throughout the centuries. One reason for the problematic situation can be traced to the common definition of free will as ’the ability to act differently’. -
HUME and MILL on "UTILITY of RELIGION": a BORGEAN GARDEN of FORKING PATHS?L
TEAO~ Reuista Iberoamericana de Estudios Utilitaristas-2005, XlVII: 117-129 ISSN 1132-0877 HUME AND MILL ON "UTILITY OF RELIGION": A BORGEAN GARDEN OF FORKING PATHS?l JOSE L. TASSET2 University ofA Coruiia ABSTRACT This work is not a specific assessment of Utility ofReligion by John Stuart Mill, but a defence of what I think is a utilitarian, but not millian, view on the problem that work states, the question of the utility of religion in contemporary societies. I construct that view from neohumeanism more than from millian positions, notwithstanding, I postulate that view as a genuine utilitarian one. Every cultural tradition makes a different approach to ethical and political theories. Spanish and Ibero-American utilitarians make precisely it with Clas sical Utilitarianism. From that point of view, Ibero-American people identifies utilitarianism with radical and enlightened tradition linked with the reform that through XVIIIth and XIXth centuries tried to undermine the foundations of conservative society in our nations. This aim was not achieved, at least not completely; because of that, the pursuit of Utilitarianism remains opened between us. In the end,I will argue that Spanish and Ibero-American utilitarians connect utilitarianism with philosophical and political radicalism, and inside that His panic utilitarianism, plays an important role the criticism of social and political functions of Religion. Maybe, part of the future of Utilitarianism in our cultural context depends on a return of the Theory to its radical roots, also in religious subjects. Keywords: J ohn Stuart Mill, David Hume, Jorge Luis Borges, religion, deism, theism, functionalism, truth. RESUMEN Este trabajo no pretende ser una evaluaci6n especifica de la Utilidad de la Religi6n de John Stuart Mill, sino una defensa de 10 que creo es una posici6n 1 Date of acceptance: 26/07/2006. -
Capital's Media: the Physical Conditions of Circulation
Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 9-26-2016 12:00 AM Capital's Media: The Physical Conditions of Circulation Atle Mikkola Kjøsen The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Nick Dyer-Witheford The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Media Studies A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Atle Mikkola Kjøsen 2016 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Kjøsen, Atle Mikkola, "Capital's Media: The Physical Conditions of Circulation" (2016). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 4156. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4156 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract The question of what constitutes media has received little attention in Marxism and where it does, the concept is an empty abstraction. While Marxists have extensively theorized the concentration of mass media ownership, and analyzed mass media content as ideology or propaganda, critical discussions of what a medium is in the capitalist mode of production have been mostly lacking. That is to say, Marxism does not have a media ontology. Media is therefore a critical gap in Marx’s political economy. This dissertation seeks to fill this gap by asking what is a medium in the capitalist mode of production?, answering it with a value- form theory of media and a concept of “capital’s media” that takes the circulation of capital as its starting point. -
Philosophy.Pdf
Philosophy 1 PHIL:1401 Matters of Life and Death 3 s.h. Contemporary ethical controversies with life and death Philosophy implications; topics may include famine, brain death, animal ethics, abortion, torture, terrorism, capital punishment. GE: Chair Values and Culture. • David Cunning PHIL:1636 Principles of Reasoning: Argument and Undergraduate major: philosophy (B.A.) Debate 3 s.h. Undergraduate minor: philosophy Critical thinking and its application to arguments and debates. Graduate degrees: M.A. in philosophy; Ph.D. in philosophy GE: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning. Faculty: https://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/people/faculty PHIL:1861 Introduction to Philosophy 3 s.h. Website: https://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/ Varied topics; may include personal identity, existence of The Department of Philosophy offers programs of study for God, philosophical skepticism, nature of mind and reality, undergraduate and graduate students. A major in philosophy time travel, and the good life; readings, films. GE: Values and develops abilities useful for careers in many fields and for any Culture. situation requiring clear, systematic thinking. PHIL:1902 Philosophy Lab: The Meaning of Life 1 s.h. Further exploration of PHIL:1033 course material with the The department also administers the interdisciplinary professor in a smaller group. undergraduate major in ethics and public policy, which it offers jointly with the Department of Economics and the PHIL:1904 Philosophy Lab: Liberty and the Pursuit of Department of Sociology and Criminology; see Ethics and Happiness 1 s.h. Public Policy in the Catalog. Further exploration of PHIL:1034 course material with the professor in a smaller group. Programs PHIL:1950 Philosophy Club 1-3 s.h. -
The Two Bell's Theorems of John Bell
The two Bell's theorems of John Bell Author Wiseman, HM Published 2014 Journal Title Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical Version Accepted Manuscript (AM) DOI https://doi.org/10.1088/1751-8113/47/42/424001 Copyright Statement © 2014 Institute of Physics Publishing. This is the author-manuscript version of this paper. Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/65174 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au The Two Bell’s Theorems of John Bell H. M. Wiseman Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (Australian Research Council), Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland 4111, Australia Abstract. Many of the heated arguments about the meaning of “Bell’s theorem” arise because this phrase can refer to two different theorems that John Bell proved, the first in 1964 and the second in 1976. His 1964 theorem is the incompatibility of quantum phenomena with the dual assumptions of locality and determinism. His 1976 theorem is the incompatibility of quantum phenomena with the unitary property of local causality. This is contrary to Bell’s own later assertions, that his 1964 theorem began with that single, and indivisible, assumption of local causality (even if not by that name). While there are other forms of Bell’s theorems — which I present to explain the relation between Jarrett-completeness, “fragile locality”, and EPR-completeness — I maintain that Bell’s two versions are the essential ones. Although the two Bell’s theorems are logically equivalent, their assumptions are not, and the different versions of the theorem suggest quite different conclusions, which are embraced by different communities. -
A Rationalist Argument for Libertarian Free Will
A rationalist argument for libertarian free will Stylianos Panagiotou PhD University of York Philosophy August 2020 Abstract In this thesis, I give an a priori argument in defense of libertarian free will. I conclude that given certain presuppositions, the ability to do otherwise is a necessary requirement for substantive rationality; the ability to think and act in light of reasons. ‘Transcendental’ arguments to the effect that determinism is inconsistent with rationality are predominantly forwarded in a Kantian manner. Their incorporation into the framework of critical philosophy renders the ontological status of their claims problematic; rather than being claims about how the world really is, they end up being claims about how the mind must conceive of it. To make their ontological status more secure, I provide a rationalist framework that turns them from claims about how the mind must view the world into claims about the ontology of rational agents. In the first chapter, I make some preliminary remarks about reason, reasons and rationality and argue that an agent’s access to alternative possibilities is a necessary condition for being under the scope of normative reasons. In the second chapter, I motivate rationalism about a priori justification. In the third chapter, I present the rationalist argument for libertarian free will and defend it against objections. Several objections rest on a compatibilist understanding of an agent’s abilities. To undercut them, I devote the fourth chapter, in which I give a new argument for incompatibilism between free will and determinism, which I call the situatedness argument for incompatibilism. If the presuppositions of the thesis are granted and the situatedness argument works, then we may be justified in thinking that to the extent that we are substantively rational, we are free in the libertarian sense. -
Plato's Retreat : a Play in Two Acts 35057008493487 PHILOSOPHY-IN-DRAMA SERIES
PHILOSOPHY IN DRAMA SERIES MA INC PS 8579 C66 P62 2002 O'Connell, Sean, 1944- Plato's retreat : a play in two acts 35057008493487 PHILOSOPHY-IN-DRAMA SERIES VOLUME V PLATO'S RETREAT FORTHCOMING IN THIS SERIES: VOLUME III Neecheemoos and Inuspi VOLUME IV Winter at Delphi PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED: VOLUME I Cartesian Dreams VOLUME II Lives and Evils Of MI-MI miiiwu Copyright registered © 2002 by Phi-Psi Publishers. All rights reserved. Except for briefpassages quoted in reviews, no portion of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or performed in any manner whatsoever without written consent of the publisher. A play is performed whenever it is acted out for audiences, live or on film or on video, whether or not admission is charged. This book may not be resold or loaned-for-hire. Library loans do not constitute loans for hire. Address all inquiries to: Permissions Phi-Psi Publishers Box 75198, Ritchie P.O. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6E 6K1 Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data O'Connell, Sean, 1944- Plato's retreat A play. (Philosophy-in-drama series; 5) ISBN 0-9686685-2-6 1. Plato. Republic-Drama. I. Title II. Series: O'Connell, Sean, 1944- Philosophy-in-drama series; 5 PS8579.C66P62 2001 C812'.6 C2001-911302-1 PR9199.3.Q3175P62 2001 Designer: Marcey Andrews Production Manager: Marcey Andrews Marketing Director: Patricia Sweet Printing and Binding: Dial Printing Inc., Swarm Enterprises Front cover art: Kallipolis. R. Mitchell Crozier. 8 112"x 11 " (Pen on paper) PRINTED IN CANADJ fnl-Ml BtUJUtlJ PLATO'S RETREAT A PLAY IN TWO ACTS by SEAN O'CONNELL CONTENTS PREFACE TO THE SERIES 1 INTRODUCTION 15 PLATO'S RETREAT39 ACT ONE Scene One *1 Scene Two 85 Scene Three ACT TWO Scene One 155 Scene Two 159 Scene Three 195 Scene Four 215 HUD'S JinlOT PHIL0S0PHY-IN-DRAIY1A LEARNING SERIES Volume V PREFACE TO THE SERIES The first great Western Philosopher and one to whom all others bow—if not in agreement then at least with reverence—wrote nearly all his works in quasi-dramatic form.