What Philosophy Is

Determinism and Responsibility

As you read the material for the next class, keep the questions below in mind. To answer these questions you will have to reflect critically on what you have read and possibly re-read important passages. Keep in mind that there are two basic kinds of information that you need to look for in the readings.

  1. What are the main points or conclusions that an author accepts with respect to a particular issue?
  2. What are the reasons or important considerations that lead the author to accept that conclusion?

For our purposes, it is information of the latter sort (2) that will be our primary concern since our most basic task is to evaluate the reasons that are offered to support accepting one possible conclusion about an issue, rather than another.

Although I strongly suggest that you write out brief answers to these questions, you do not have to turn in written responses. You do, however, need to be prepared to speak intelligently to these issues in the next class meeting. Also, it is reasonable to assume that the final exam’s questions will be drawn from these questions—particularly those in bold.

Reading:

  • Harry G. Frankfurt, “Alternative Possibilities and Moral Responsibility” from Stephen M. Cahn (ed.), Philosophy for the 21st Century, pp. 414-420.

Dialogue Outline and Questions:

  1. What is the “principle of alternate possibilities”? What does it have to do with morality? What is the relationship between this principle, free will, and determinism?
  2. What is the standard view that coercion is an instance of principle of alternate possibilities? What is the example of Jones3? Why is he morally responsible for his actions? Why, regardless of whether he was coerced or not, does this diminish the connection between coercion and the principle of alternate possibilities? How does the case of Jones4 strengthen this case?
  3. In the final analysis, why does Frankfurt reject the principle of alternate possibilities? Is this a refutation of Van Inwagen’s argument that determinism and free will are incompatible? If so, who has the stronger and most compelling argument? If not, can someone be morally responsible while determinism is true and yet they do not have free will?

 

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