Phil 6: Introduction to Philoosophy Study Guide: Chapter 2 part II, Free Will/Determinism
Vocabulary you should understand:
Determinism (universal causation) Compatibilism (or “soft determinism”) Libertarianism Agency Theory Metaphysical Freedom (as distinguished from Circumstantial Freedom) Circumstantial Freedom (as distinguished from Metaphysical Freedom) Event Causation Agent Causation Transcendence Facticity Bad Faith External Causes vs. Internal Causes Voluntary vs. Involuntary
Philosophers you should be familiar with:
B.F. Skinner Clarence Darrow Jean Paul Sartre Richard Taylor Daniel Dennett W.T. Stace Benedict Baruch Spinoza
Arguments you should be aware of:
What reasons do Determinists give against the existence of metaphysical freedom and in favor of universal causation?
What reasons do Libertarians given against determinism and in favor of metaphysical freedom?
What reasons do Compatibilist give for their claims that circumstantial freedom is sufficient to establish moral responsibility?
Theoretical Views:
Consider the three claims the author uses to introduce the problem of free will vs. determinism: 1. We are determined. 2. If we are determined, then we lack the freedom necessary to be morally responsible. 3. We do have the freedom necessary to be morally responsible.
Which of these claims are accepted or rejected by each theory (Hard Determinism, Libertarianism, and Compatibilism)
What are the basic similarities and differences between libertarianism and hard determinism?
What are the basic similarities and differences between hard determinism and compatibilism?
What are the basic similarities and differences between libertarianism and compatibilism?
Some Possible Essay Questions:
How would the determinist reply to each of the following criticisms? (a) "When I make a choice, I could have chosen differently." (b) "The fact that I have to deliberate before making a decision proves that I am not determined." (c) "It is impossible to predict another person's behavior." How would a libertarian likely respond to these criticisms?
What is the distinction between agency causation and event causation? What does Richard Taylor mean when he says an agent is “a substance and not an event?”
What does Jean-Paul Sartre mean when he says "existence precedes essence"? Using his notions of "facticity" and "transcendence," explain why he thinks you are not determined even by facts over which you had no control (such as your sex or place of birth).
What does Sartre mean when he says we are “abandoned” in the world?
Discuss why compatibilists think that determinism and freedom are compatible. Explain how a libertarian would critique the compatibilist's notion of "free action."