PhilosophyLesson 3 of 3 in the course Metaphysics

Free Will: Alternative Possibilities, Determinism, and Compatibilism

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 3 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces the philosophical problem of free will and examines two influential ways of defining freedom. It asks whether feeling free is enough to show that our choices are genuinely free.

In everyday life, we often feel that we choose freely. Yet the feeling of freedom does not by itself prove that our actions are free. A person might feel in control while the available options are actually constrained.

All flashcards

Principle of Alternative Possibilities (PAP)
The view that a person acts freely only if they could have done otherwise.
First-order desire
A desire to do something, such as wanting to eat a particular food.
Second-order volition
A desire about which desire a person wants to guide their action.
Determinism
The view that events, including human actions, are determined by prior causes and natural laws.
Contrastivism
An approach that distinguishes freedom from causation from freedom from constraint.

Quiz questions

  1. What does determinism claim about events, including human actions?Answer: They are determined by prior causes and natural laws.
  2. What does incompatibilism claim about free will and determinism?Answer: Free will and determinism cannot both be true.
  3. What is the compatibilist position on free will and determinism?Answer: Free will can coexist with determinism.
  4. What does indeterminism allow for?Answer: Some events may not be fully determined by prior causes.
  5. What distinction does contrastivism draw in discussions of freedom?Answer: Freedom from causation differs from freedom from constraint.

Based on Introduction to Philosophy by Nathan Smith (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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