Two Libertarian Theories
This chapter explores the relative merits of two different event-causal libertarian views. One is Robert Kane’s well-known view, and the other is the “daring libertarian” view floated in Alfred Mele’s 2006 book, Free Will and Luck. It is argued that event-causal libertarians should prefer the latter view to Kane’s view. Special attention is paid to a problem that luck poses for libertarian theories—a problem that the two views at issue attempt to solve in different ways. The problem is applied both to the decisions of adults and to the decisions of young children. A suggestion about how human beings come to be in a position to perform their earliest free actions is developed.