Discussion

Table of Contents

Chisholm, “Human Freedom and the Self”

Greeks had no concept of free will (or put much thought behind it), arose from the systematic selection and behavior of certain church leaders

Distinction between what you do, and what happens to you - some important implications follow.

Problems of Free Will

• Two Doctrines

  • Determinism (everything that happens was determined to happen)
  • Goes back to thte City of God (St. Augustine)
  • Free Will
    • If determinism is true, everything is effective of prior cause

• Positions

  • Incompatibilism vs Compatabilisim

  Hume’s Gambit

  • Attempts to explain compatibilism
  • An act is free when one does what one wants to do
    • one’s will is free when you did what you want to do, and if you wanted to do something else, you could’ve done so
  • Notce how these can be satisfied even with determinism

  Chisholm (is choice even free or is it an illusion - the idea of choice is event)

  uncaused causes - desires and motives cannot themselves cause intention to act.