Free Will and Determinism Chapter Three Think pp

The Basic Paradox  Two equally plausible assumptions provide reason for conclusions that are inconsistent (i.e. they cannot both be true)  (Determinism) Every event e has a determining cause that is antecedent to e.  (Freedom) Some of our actions are free  If we perform some action a, then we could have done otherwise.

Thesis of Determinism  Nothing happens that does not have a cause  Consider how preposterous it would be to hear that something occurred, but without any cause  To say that one event causes a second is to say -- given that the first event occurred, the second had to occur  Causal explanations assume that nothing happens without some antecedent and determining cause

Libertarian Thesis  Some human actions are free  If we perform an action that is free, then we could have done otherwise  Responsibility presupposes that we are free  Deliberation assumes that we are free in this sense  Introspection provides evidence that some of our choices are indeed free  we feel as though we could have done otherwise

The Paradox  We accept both of these principles  But, Determinism implies that our actions are caused by causal processes that began before we were born  However, this, in turn, implies that we are wrong when we feel that we could have done otherwise  It seems that we must reject either Determinism or Freedom

The Determinist Argument 1) All events are caused by antecedent events. 2) If all events are caused by antecedent events, then there are no free actions. Therefore, 3) There are no free actions. 4) If there are no free acts, then no one is responsible for his acts. Therefore, 5) No one is responsible for his/her actions.

Three Positions on this Debate Determinist – Accept premises (1), (2), and (4) Libertarian – Accepts premise (2), but rejects premise (1) Compatibilist –Accepts premise (1), but rejects premise (2) -Determinism is compatible with freedom