Causal Compatibilism and the Exclusion Problem

Dretske on Metaphysics and Freedom

In this paper, Fred Dretske’s component theory of action is evaluated. Dretske claims that in his theory reasons are parts or components of action. Thus, reasons do not cause actions because a part cannot cause the whole whose part it is. According to Dretske, this helps in eliminating a problem in compatibilism. Suppose reasons are causes of actions. Now, if X gives Y a reason from which she a...

Does ReDUCtIvIst event-CAUsAL CoMPAtIBILIsM LeAve AnytHIng oUt? Lynne BAkeR’s REFLECTIVE-ENDoRSEMENT AnD tHe BoUnDs oF tHe tRADItIonAL AnALyses oF MoRAL ResPonsIBILIty

Free will and the problem of evil

According to the free-will defence, the exercise of free will by creatures is of such value that God is willing to allow the existence of evil which comes from the misuse of free will. A well-known objection holds that the exercise of free will is compatible with determinism and thus, if God exists, God could have predetermined exactly how the will would be exercised; God could even have predet...

Compatibilism and Incompatibilism in Social Cognition.

Compatibilism is the view that determinism is compatible with acting freely and being morally responsible. Incompatibilism is the opposite view. It is often claimed that compatibilism or incompatibilism is a natural part of ordinary social cognition. That is, it is often claimed that patterns in our everyday social judgments reveal an implicit commitment to either compatibilism or incompatibili...

Free will, the self, and the brain.

The free will problem is defined and three solutions are discussed: no-freedom theory, libertarianism, and compatibilism. Strict determinism is often assumed in arguing for libertarianism or no-freedom theory. It assumes that the history of the universe is fixed, but modern physics admits a certain degree of randomness in the determination of events. However, this is not enough for a compatibil...