PHL101Y1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Immanence, Hypnosis, Determinism
Human Freedom and the Self
Author: Roderick Chisholm, American Philosopher (Libertarian)
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Human freedom contradicts determinism (that everything has a cause)
Human freedom contradicts indeterminism (that nothing in caused)
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If a man is responsible for a certain event/state of affairs that means that that event/state of
affairs was brought on by a man’s decision to do/not do something
Although he is no longer responsible if he did not have the power not to preform (ex.
Hypnotism)
People then say the beliefs and desires act the same way and force a certain action
Since the thoughts and beliefs caused it, man was unable to do anything
"if the man is responsible for the beliefs and desires that he happens to have then he may also
be responsible for the things they lead him to do. But if the question now becomes: is he
responsible for the beliefs and desires he happens to have. If he is then there was a time when
they were within his power either to acquire or not to acquire"
A man who is good wouldn’t actually be responsible for any of his actions since he wouldn’t
have the choice to be anything but good
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Stratagem
A)'He could have done otherwise' is the same as B) 'if he had chosen to do otherwise then he
would have done otherwise'
This second part means that if he had chosen to the not shoot the gun wouldn’t shoot anyways.
(thus, he has control)
Determinism and moral responsibility are compatible: the agent could do otherwise even
though he was caused to do what he did
There are holes in this argument ^
We must also assert that C) 'He could have chosen to do otherwise'
Stratagem shows that the ascription of responsibility conflicts with a deterministic view of
action
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Our concept of action should be neither deterministic nor indeterministic
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Instead of saying that all events were caused/not caused, etc
We say that at least one of the events that are involved in the act are caused by an agent and
the rest are caused by other events
If events are caused by men, then are still caused
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Causation: the relation between events or state of affairs
Transient causation: when one events causes other events
Immanent causation: when an agent causes an event
Ex. A hand moved by a man, motion of the hand was caused by motion of muscles, brain, etc
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Document Summary
Human freedom contradicts determinism (that everything has a cause) Human freedom contradicts indeterminism (that nothing in caused) If a man is responsible for a certain event/state of affairs that means that that event/state of affairs was brought on by a man"s decision to do/not do something. Although he is no longer responsible if he did not have the power not to preform (ex. People then say the beliefs and desires act the same way and force a certain action. Since the thoughts and beliefs caused it, man was unable to do anything. "if the man is responsible for the beliefs and desires that he happens to have then he may also be responsible for the things they lead him to do. But if the question now becomes: is he responsible for the beliefs and desires he happens to have. If he is then there was a time when they were within his power either to acquire or not to acquire"
