compatibilism

Question 1

key terms - incompatibilism & compatibilism

Answer 1

incompatibilism - view that determinism & libertarianism are incompatible
compatibilism - sometimes called ‘soft determinism’ to distinguish it from hard determinism - human freedom & moral responsibility are compatible with determinism

Question 2

compatibilism

Answer 2

• believes universe with law-like order & past determines future
• soft determinism is what its also referred to
• when action of agent is self determined action should be considered free
• friends pressuring you to get high is external factor but desire to conform internal
• if can’t separate internal or external maybe we should say we’re free
• should be asking how much control we have
• a compatibilist consider an action to be free if agent could’ve done otherwise
• determinist would say no you couldn’t of done otherwise, a liberalist would say yes whilst a compatibilist would say yes if i had desired to do otherwise

Question 3

hume

Answer 3

• hume gives classical account that we have ‘liberty of spontaneity’ which hume saw as a delusion (kind of liberty which is consistent with necessity)
• his belief about ‘necessity’ is where he gives his own definition & necessity is required by causal determinism
• see in nature is ‘ constant conjuction’
• what he says about this it that our idea of necessity & causation arises from uniformity observable in operation of nature where similar objects are constantly conjoined together

Question 4

how can constant conjunction can be found in human nature

Answer 4

• according to hume, people’s principles & motives are as constant as pattern of wind, rain in weather, people in all societies depend upon each other to extent there’s hardly anything we do without reference to others
• hume points out that anyone who makes/grows something to sell or feed their family expects to sell goods at a reasonable price & if someone cheats him, expects justice system to come to his aid

Question 5

according to hume, what does this kind of regularity show

Answer 5

• shows liberty and necessity are compatible & liberty requires necessity
• hume sees physical events & human wishes to be one kind of operation - the actions of the will & natural causes form one linked chain
• kind of regularity between human choices on one hand and human actions on the others. must be that human actions stem from human choices and that’s all required for free will. freedom requires determinism as if our wishes simply random the order of human life would be lost

Question 6

evaluating hume’s compatibilism

Answer 6

• philosophical method brilliant. insits whole debate on freedom & determinism is about definitions and once we accept his definitions everything becomes clear. if necessity boils down to ‘constant conjunction’ in nature & human nature then hume seems to be right -> liberty is consistent with necessity & have freedom to do what we desire
• for 21st century hard determinist however, hume’s idea on necessity and causation as ‘constant conjunction’ is too watered down. for scientific determinism, hume’s wishes and desires are product of absolute causal forces, so idea that wishes and desires can in anyway be free is unscientific nonsense
• for libertarians, hume’s compatibilism ignores the very power of reason by which hume arrives at compatibilism. in other words on hume’s account, human reason becomes virtually redundant despite having led him to compatiblism. for the libertarian, reason allows us to make real moral choices by which our lives become properly meaningful

Question 7

synthesis

Answer 7

PROBLEMS WITH EACH THEORY: with determinism if its true then even the discussion or consideration of determinism must be determined and that seems to be counter intuitive to say the least
COMPATIBILISM: if determinism is true then for a compatiblist to say we still perform voluntary acts makes no sesne since voluntary acts must be determined. faced with a moral choice, if an individual makes a choice but ‘could have chosen otherwise’ then choice would be free but if determinism true that’s not a choice
LIBERALISM: most libertarian arguments claim that although physical systems and determined the mind is somehow free but although there are several accounts of how this might be the case and so for nobody had produced a convincing answer concerning how the brain manages to act freely & exactly where and what part of the brain is involved