1. FREEDOM AND NECESSITY A.J AYER

2. ALFRED JULES AYER  A.J. Ayer (1910–1989) was only 24 when he wrote the book that made his philosophical name, Language, Truth, and Logic (hereafter LTL), published in 1936.  Language, Truth and Logic is one of Ayer's most important books and may be considered as one of the most influential philosophical works of the 20th century.  In it he put forward what were understood to be the major theses of Logical Positivism, and so established himself as that movement's leading English representative.

3. THE NOTION OF FREE WILL  “When I Am said to have done something of my own free will it is implied that I could have acted otherwise; and it is only when it is believed that I could have acted otherwise that I am held to be morally responsible for what I have done.” Agree / Disagree? Why?

4. IS FREE WILL REALLY… FREE?  “Now it is commonly assumed both that men are capable of acting freely, in the sense that is required to make them morally responsible, and that human behavior is entirely governed by causal laws; and it is the apparent conflict between these two assumptions that gives rise to the philosophical problem of the free will.”

5. LINK  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT6DKn6ZJso&list=PL3AE 4C7175F29AC6D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT6DKn6ZJso&list=PL3AE 4C7175F29AC6D  This video will help clarify the many stand points of which philosophers view the notion of free will.

6. FREEDOM AND NECESSITY  In this article, A.J Ayer starts off by casting some doubt on whether or not every event must have a cause. (A premise of determinism)  Scientists have established a number of laws that govern many actions; however, there remain many phenomena that laws cannot account for.  Phenomena such as human actions cannot be govern by any natural laws.

7. FREEDOM AND NECESSITY “It seems that if we are to retain this idea of moral responsibility, we must either show that men can be held responsible for actions which they do not do freely, or else find some way of reconciling determinism with the freedom of free will”

8. “FREEDOM”  Hard determinists take 'freedom' to contrast with causality; on this account, the only free actions are those that are not caused. Because all actions are caused, it follows that there are no free actions.  A.J ayer disagrees. Instead, he believes that the proper contrast t o freedom should be constraint.  Certainly, actions are said to be constrained when one person compels another to act, by, for example, threats of force, hypnosis, or deceit.  To say that an action is caused just means that the behavior can be explained. And because it can be explained does not mean it is constrained. Therefore, free will is compatible with determinism.

9. KLEPTOMANIA  Kleptomania is the inability to refrain from the urge to steal items for reasons other than personal use or financial gain. First described in 1816, kleptomania is classified in psychiatry as an impulse control disorder.

10. KLEPTOMANIAC  What is your standpoint on a kleptomaniac? Do you believe their actions are derived from their ‘free will’ ? Or are they denied the notion of free will? Should they be held morally responsible for their actions?

11. A.J AYER VIEWS ON FREE WILL  Aj Ayer is said to be a compatibilist.  He believes there is a free will as long as our choices are a part of the causal chain.  “If this is correct, to say that I could have acted otherwise is to say, first, that I should have acted otherwise if I had so chosen; secondly that my action was voluntary in the sense in which the actions, say, of the kleptomaniac are not; and thirdly, that nobody compelled me to choose as I did: and these three conditions may very well be fulfilled. When they are fulfilled, I may be said to have acted freely”