Transcript Libertarianism or Incompatibilism

Examiners tip
 ‘Pear
trees cannot
bear bananas. The
instincts of a Spaniel
cannot be the
instincts of an
ostrich. Everything is
planned, connected,
limited.’
Khayyam, 1120

When explaining the
causes of hard
determinism, do not just
list them. Show the
examiner that you
understand why
psychology, genetics,
natural law, etc could be
seen as causes of hard
determinism. Do this by
giving brief explanations
of what each term means
and an equally brief
example of the same,
showing all the time how
it relates to determinism.
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Thomas Reid – ‘commonsense philosophy’
Adam Smith – ‘capitalist
economy theory’
Fredrich Hayak – humans
should be free from social
conditioning.
Libertarian definition.
John Stuart Mill (Bowie p.
6/7) Human personality is
an expression of free will.
Luther said…is he a soft, lib,
hard?
Calvin – pre-destination
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Erasmus was a …
Soft determinists are…
Tabula Rasa (John Lock)
is this idea hard/soft?
Hume – ‘Liberty of
spontaneity’???
Aquinas P18 – said
about The Fall…
Honderich said…
Diminished
responsibility means…it
connects to…
 The
libertarian believes that though some
elements of the personality are defined by
Aexternal
libertarianfactors
believes
thatwill
even
when
under the
this
only
increase
our
compulsions of an external cause you make a free choice.
disposition toward the completion of an action
and never
ensure
action
Conversely,
aifSoft
determinist
takes
a deterministic
Therefore,
the
policethat
beatsaid
you
until
youwill
signoccur.
a view and
argues
all human
arethe
caused.
A to
'free'
is simply
confession
- youactions
still make
choice
theaction
sign the
one
which is determined by internal causes such as the
confession.
 This disposition can always be overridden by the
desires and the beliefs of an individual. Rather than an action
moral
self.
Thus,
the
libertarian
argues
an
agent
dictated
by
external
pressure,
such
as
signing
a
confession
The Soft Determinist believes that in that case signing the
can always
'step
nature'
make
decision
because
the police
beat
you.
confession
would
notout
be
an
act of and
free will,
butasomething
which
runs contrary
toan
the
tendency
which
happens
because of
external
cause.of their
Thepersonality.
essential difference
is that
the Libertarian
the
Cambell
describes
this as believes
a 'casually
laws
of cause and effect
can be overridden.
undetermined
choice'.
“We are free and
morally
responsible for
our actions”
 In
order to make a decision you must have
more than one choice open to you.
 Make
a list of all the decisions you have
made in the last 24 hours.
 What
does God mean
when he says, “Yes
you can.”
 What is freewill?
 What would humans
be without freewill?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6et2ZSodS0g
 Libertarianism
rejects determinism because it
rejects moral responsibility.
 It
also rejects determinism because we have a
sense of freedom to act.
 Libertarians
are also called Incompatibilists
because they maintain that freewill in
incompatible with determinism.
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Said in ‘Republic’:
‘Your destiny shall
not be allotted to you,
but you shall choose
it for yourselves’
Libertarians
do not reject
determinism altogether.
They agree that the inanimate world
is determined.
They deny that causation applies to
human action.
It may be that the kleptomaniac left
on his own in a shop will steal but no
one can be certain.
 In
less than fifty words, describe your own
personality.
 What
determines your personality?
 Complete
this table:
Personality
Moral self
Personality
Moral self
Empirical concept
Ethical concept
Governed by causal laws
Operates when we decide what to do
it situations of moral choice
Capable of scientific explanation and
prediction
Involved deciding between selfinterest and duty
Known through observation of
behaviour and psychoanalysis
Can be undetermined
Limits our choices – makes us more
likely to choose certain kinds of
actions. E.g. youth accustomed to
violence is more likely to decide on a
career of violence BUT not
inevitable. Youth might be aware of
significance of his actions. Their
moral self might counteract. They
could become a policeman as a
result of their upbringing
Can subdue inclinations of
upbringing
Can do something that satisfies
moral duty
Libertarians
distinguish between
personality and your moral self.
A
moral agent can overcome the
pressures exerted on him by his own
personality and becomes morally
responsible for his own actions.
This
distinguishes man from animals.
 If
our personality can be determined by
heredity and environment – why can’t
moral attitudes by conditioned in the
same way?
 Why
is a person free to choose between
duty and desire but is not free in other
choices. (Libertarians have assumed the
existence of freewill in situations of
moral choice but provide no evidence for
it)
 Described
liberty in his ‘Enquiry Concerning
Human Understanding’ where he said:
‘by liberty, then, we can
only mean a power of acting
or not acting, according to
the determinations of the
will; that is, if we choose to
remain at rest, we may; if we
choose to move, we also
may’.

What is the
relationship
between freedom
and moral
responsibility?
Explain the concepts of the
personality and the moral self in
libertarianism.
(30 marks) AO1
‘In libertarianism there is no moral
responsibility.’
Assess this claim.
(20 marks) AO2
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1 (a) ‘Both
libertarianism and
determinism have a
view of the human
condition.
Neither view
matches reality.’
Explain libertarian
and determinist
views of the human
condition.
(30 marks)