Dilemma of Free Will and Determinism

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Dilemma of Free Will and Determinism

• P1. Either we have free will or our actions are
  causally determined by forces originating outside
  us.
• P2. If we have free will, then we are not part of
  the causal order.
• P3. But we are part of the causal order.
• C1. Hence we do not have free will.

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Dilemma continued

• P4. If our actions are causally determined by
  forces originating outside us, then we cannot be
  held morally responsible for our actions.
• C. Therefore, we cannot be held morally
  responsible for our actions.

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Three positions in free will/determinism debate

• 1. Doctrine of freedom humans are, with respect
  to some actions, free to choose to act otherwise
  .
• 2. Hard determinism all human actions are
  determined by causal forces originating outside
  the agent.
• 3. Soft determinism or compatibilism although
  our actions are causally determined, we may still
  be held responsible for at least some of our
  actions.

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Aristotle on Voluntary Action

• We are interested in defining voluntary and
  involuntary action because we are only to be held
  responsible for voluntary actions.
• There are two conditions under which an action is
  considered involuntary and so not blameworthy

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Involuntary Actions

• Action is involuntary and so not blameworthy
  when
• 1. performed under compulsion or
• 2. performed as the result of ignorance.

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Action under compulsion

• originates in some external cause of such a
  nature that the agent or person subject to the
  compulsion contributes nothing to it.
• E.g., the sea captain carried off course by a
  contrary wind, or by men who have got him in
  their power.
• Problem there are two different kinds of
  compulsion involved in these two cases.

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Action under compulsion (2)

• Since all actions appear involuntary from some
  perspective, compulsion is defined in terms of
  external constraint. A person acts under
  compulsion only when there is no choice involved.
  The sea captain who is blown off course sails
  off course under compulsion, but the sea captain
  who steers off course to avoid being killed does
  not act under compulsion.

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Action under ignorance

• Cause the doer subsequent pain or regret.
• A distinguishes acting in consequence of
  ignorance/ acting in ignorance.
• Action in consequence of ignorance or because of
  ignorance is involuntary and not blameworthy,
  unless we should not have been ignorant.
• Action in ignorance is action that results from
  being drunk or in passion, and this is
  blameworthy action.

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• Thus Aristotle holds that actions done out of
  desire or anger are voluntary. This may seem
  controversial, but he defends this position with
  four reasons
• 1. If we do not say this, then we have to
  maintain that children and animals do not act
  voluntarily, since they always act out of desire
  or anger.

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• 2. If we say that actions from desire are
  involuntary, then we have to say that when we act
  from noble desires our actions are involuntary.
• 3. People assume that what is involuntary must
  be painful and what falls in with our own wishes
  must be pleasant. (769b)
• 4. Actions that are inspired by anger or desire
  are typical of the person who performs them. We
  are to be held responsible for our character.

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Aristotle as Soft Determinist

• Aristotle is a soft determinist because he holds
  that some actions are both caused by external
  forces and yet we are to be held responsible for
  them.