DETERMINISM AND THE FREEDOM OF WILL --
REVIEW
0. The basic philosophical concepts -- substance,
event, property, fact etc.
1. The basic notions and principles
applicable to the issue of determinism and the freedom of
will:
The Principle of Universal Event
Causation
What does this principle assert.
Reasons to think that (UCe) is true. Are events without causes
comprehensible?
Can anything happen without a cause?
A difference between the event causation and the gent
causation
The Free Will Principle (FW)
Reasons for thinking that we sometimes
act freely (how can we know that we sometimes act freely);
examples of free acts.
The Principle of Incompatibilism
(I).
The arguments for Incompatibilism.
The Claim about Moral
Responsibility.
"Could Have Done
Otherwise" Principle
2. The basic positions:
- Hard Determinism
- Indeterminism
- Soft-Determinism
- Libertarianism
Be prepared to explain each of the basic positions
in terms of the basic principles.
3. Hard Determinism:
Contrast between freedom and
causation
HD and the issue of moral responsibility.
Arguments against (HD). How does the hard determinist reply to
these arguments? How does he support his replies?
4. Indeterminism (Extreme and Moderate
Versions)
- [The difference between Extreme and
Moderate Indeterminism]
- Indeterministic account of action and free
action (the notions of Volition, Free Volition, and
Freely Willed Action.)
- Objections to Indeterminism. (IND) and the
issue of moral responsibility.
5. Soft-Determinism (Standard and Ayerian
Versions)
- [The difference between Standard and
Ayerian Soft Determinism]
- The notions of Volition, Standard
Volition, Voluntary Action and Properly Voluntary
Action.
- Standard Soft Determinism
: the contrast between freedom and compulsion
(the difference between, on the one hand, determination
and, on the other hand, compulsion and
coercion.)
- Ayerian Soft Determinism and the issue of
moral responsibility.
- The "Could Have Done Otherwise"
Principle.
- Can SD accommodate this principle (explain
what it means)?
- Does SD have a good argument against this
principle?
- Ayer's and Chisholm's views about this
principle
6. Libertarianism.
- The notion of Agent Causation; how is
it different from event causation.
- Is Libertarianism identical with
Indeterminism?
- Can a Libertarian account for moral
responsibility?
- Libertarianism and the possibility to act
otherwise ("Could Have Done Otherwise" Principle).