Hide Assignment Information
Instructions
Note: only one submission is allowed. These must be in pdf format. To get a pdf, just press “save as” and then select pdf from your word processing application.
•A philosopher, call him Philosopher A, famously argued that There is no free will. Consider the following text:
•To say that the will is not free means that it is subject to the law of causality. Every act of will is in fact preceded by a sufficient cause. Without such a cause the act of will cannot occur; and, if the sufficient cause is present, the act of will must occur. To say that the will is free would mean that it is not subject to the law of causality. In that case every act of will would be an absolute beginning [a first cause] and not a link [in a chain of events]: it would not be the effect of preceding causes. The reflections that follow may serve to clarify what is meant by saying that the will is not free … Every object—a stone, an animal, a human being—can pass from its present state to another one. The stone that now lies in front of me may, in the next moment, fly through the air, or it may disintegrate into dust or roll along the ground. If, however, one of these possible states is to be realized, its sufficient cause must first be present. The stone will fly through the air if it is tossed. It will roll if a force acts upon it. It will disintegrate into dust, given that some object hits and crushes it. It is helpful to use the terms “potential” and “actual” in this connection. At any moment there are innumerably many potential states. At a given time, however, only one can become actual, namely, the one that is triggered by its sufficient cause.
•Explain his argument for the conclusion that There is no free will. 2.5 points, 3paragraphs
•Present his argument for the conclusion that There is no free will in standard form 2.5 points
•Create and explain an objection (a new argument where your conclusion is the negation of a premise of the previous argument) to his argument (that is, against a premise. recall our meaning of objection) 2.5 points, 3 paragraphs
•Present your objection in standard form 2.5 points
