The Saga of the Rolling Stones

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stones

Determinism

Every event is determined by an antecedent cause

Does this make freedom problematic?

Why is the loss of freedom troubling?

Determinism --> ~ Moral Responsibility

• Determinism --> ~Freedom --> Can’t be Blamed or Praised --> ~ Moral Responsibility

• Is this the problem?

Or is this it?

Does Determinism Challenge Freedom?

• Every event is determined by an antecedent cause• Does this mean that at any given time only one action is

possible?• There is at any instant exactly one physically possible future.

ForeknowledgeFate/Prederminism

Dilemma

• Which is true?• Freedom• Determinism

Disjunctive Syllogism

Libertarianism Hard Determinism

FW v D FW v D

~D ~FW

∴ FW D∴

FW & DCompatibilism

The Forking Path Model

Choice

Could Have Done Otherwise

The Forking Path Model

Choice~ Could Have Done OtherwiseVoluntary Action

Choice Based on Desires

Free will: the ability to select a course of action as a means of fulfilling some desire

Desire

1st order Desires 2nd order DesiresDesires to do this and that Desires about

desires to do this and that

Free Action vs. Free Will

• Free Action: The desire on which I act is one that I desire to be effective

• Addict is not acting freely: Acts out of a desire which he does not want to act upon.

• Free Will: ability to make 1st order desires the one upon which I act. But I also could have willed to refrain from doing so.

The Problem of CompulsionInner/Outer

Addiction

Manipulation

Does Determinism Challenge Freedom?

• Every event is determined by an antecedent cause• At any given time only one action is possible• At any instant exactly one physically possible future.

Ayer’s Compatibilism

What do we mean by ‘Determinism’?

• Causation

• Constraint

Cause & Effect

• Causation: Regularity• C causes E = whenever C then E• There is no causal necessity

Constraint

• The only cases in which we do not act freely are those in which we are constrained.

• Examples: gun to the head, kleptomaniac

• If no causes necessitate then all actions are free

• How can we distinguish?

• Nature determines us to will certain general ends. These we will necessarily.

• Freedom: we consider various means to these ends.

• ~ Could have done otherwise• Only one route• Metaphysics/Epistemology• Choice