Soft Determinism (aka Compatibilism)

1. Attempt to combine

a. All events are caused

b. We are nonetheless free

2. The mugger & the vagrant

3. Free = caused by your own will

Version #1: Traditional Compatibilism

1. An action is free if

a. The action is caused by the will of the agent

b. The action is not forced

2. I am free (and so, also responsible) if the action is caused by my internal states

a. Desires,

b. beliefs,

c. hopes,

3. Forced actions are not free actions

a. Key question: could you have done otherwise?

b. Parallel to legal conception of freedom regarding responsibility

Version #2: Deep Self-Compatibilism

1. Problem with Traditional Compatibilism

a. Sometimes our desires, wishes, etc. are different from our will

i. Addiction

ii. Brain washing

2. An action is free if

a. The action is caused by the will of the agent

b. That will is the agent’s authentic will

c. The action is not forced

Do animals have free will?

1. Yes, under traditional compatibilism

2. No, under deep-self compatibilism

The fundamental problem with soft determinism

1. Having a desire precedes acting on that desire

2. The desire causes the action

3. The decision to buy a hot dog at 11:00 am was causally determined by a desire for a hot dog at 10:59.

i. How could the actor do other than decide to buy the hot dog?