A Contemporary Introduction to Free Will

by Kane, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780195149708
• ISBN10: 019514970X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-03-24
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Accessible to students with no background in the subject, A Contemporary Introduction to Free Will provides an extensive and up-to-date overview of all the latest views on this central problem of philosophy. Opening with a concise introduction to the history of the problem of free will--and its place in the history of philosophy--the book then turns to contemporary debates and theories about free will, determinism, and related subjects like moral responsibility, coercion, compulsion, autonomy, agency, rationality, freedom, and more. Classical compatibilist and new compatibilist theories of free will are considered along with the latest incompatibilist or libertarian theories and the most recent skeptical challenges to free will. Separate chapters are devoted to the relation of free will to moral responsibility and ethics; to modern science; and to religious questions about predestination, divine foreknowledge, and human freedom. Numerous down-to-earth examples and challenging thought experiments enliven the text. The book is an ideal addition to introduction to philosophy, metaphysics, and free will courses.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	vii
1 The Free Will Problem	1	(11)
2 Compatibilism	12	(11)
3 Incompatibilism	23	(9)
4 Libertarianism, Indeterminism, and Chance	32	(8)
5 Minds, Selves, and Agent Causes	40	(13)
6 Actions, Reasons, and Causes	53	(14)
7 Is Free Will Possible? Hard Determinists and Other Skeptics	67	(13)
8 Moral Responsibility and Alternative Possibilities	80	(13)
9 Higher-order Desires, Real Selves, and New Compatibilists	93	(14)
10 Reactive Attitude Theories	107	(13)
11 Ultimate Responsibility	120	(12)
12 Free Will and Modern Science	132	(15)
13 Predestination, Divine Foreknowledge, and Free Will	147	(16)
14 Conclusion: Five Freedoms	163	(12)
NOTES	175	(10)
INDEX	185