II-Acting ‘of One's Own Free Will’: Modern Reflections on an Ancient Philosophical Problem

Robert Kane

doi:10.1111/j.1467-9264.2014.00363.x

Wittgenstein on Freedom of the Will: Not Determinism, Yet Not Indeterminism

10.31219/osf.io/u8kb2 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Thomas Nadelhoffer

Keyword(s):

Free Will ◽

Philosophical Problem ◽

Secondary Literature ◽

Freedom Of The Will ◽

The Will

Since the publication of Wittgenstein’s Lectures on Freedom of the Will in 1989, his remarks about free will and determinism have received very little attention. Insofar as these lectures give us an opportunity to see him at work on a traditional—and seemingly intractable—philosophical problem and given the voluminous secondary literature written about nearly every other facet of Wittgenstein’s life and philosophy, this neglect is both surprising and unfortunate. Perhaps these lectures have not attracted much attention because they are available to us only in the form of a single student’s notes (Yorick Smythies). Or perhaps it is because, as one Wittgenstein scholar put it, the lectures represent only “cursory reflections” that “are themselves uncompelling." Either way, my goal is to show that Wittgenstein’s views about freedom of the will merit closer attention.

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Androids, Oracles and Free Will

KRITERION – Journal of Philosophy ◽

10.1515/krt-2021-0010 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Maria Sekatskaya

Keyword(s):

Popular Culture ◽

Free Will ◽

Philosophical Problem ◽

Philosophical Discussion ◽

Persuasive Arguments

Abstract Claims about freedom and predestination are ubiquitous in movies, novels, and myths. These claims touch upon the philosophical problem of the compatibility of free will and determination. In order to make an informed judgment about whether these claims are true, it is helpful to know what philosophers have to say about free will. However, philosophical discussions are usually absent in popular culture. It is perhaps no wonder, since free will is a topic that has been discussed for millennia. Consequently, these discussions have become quite complicated and not easy to decipher. This essay is a popular introduction to these discussions, accessible to readers without former acquaintance with the topic. I provide references to other works for readers interested in knowing more. My aim is to show that while there are persuasive arguments against free will, there are no fewer persuasive replies to these arguments. Free will is a fascinating topic, and I hope that acquaintance with the relevant philosophical discussion will prove useful for those who wonder if anyone is free to create their own destiny.

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Free Will, Determinism and the “Problem” of Structure and Agency in the Social Sciences

Philosophy of the Social Sciences ◽

10.1177/0048393118814952 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 3-30 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nigel Pleasants

Keyword(s):

Social Sciences ◽

Social Structure ◽

Free Will ◽

Philosophical Problem ◽

Individual Agency ◽

Structure And Agency ◽

The Social ◽

The Holocaust

The so-called “problem” of structure and agency is clearly related to the philosophical problem of free will and determinism, yet the central philosophical issues are not well understood by theorists of structure and agency in the social sciences. In this article I draw a map of the available stances on the metaphysics of free will and determinism. With the aid of this map the problem of structure and agency will be seen to dissolve. The problem of structure and agency is sustained by a failure to distinguish between metaphysical and empirical senses of the relation between social structure and individual agency. The ramifications of this distinction are illustrated via a case study of competing explanations of perpetrator behavior in Christopher Browning’s and Daniel Goldhagen’s studies of the German Order Police in the Holocaust.

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THE FOUNDATIONS AND PHILOSOPHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF WAVE MECHANICS

Canadian Journal of Research ◽

10.1139/cjr47a-012 ◽

1947 ◽

Vol 25a (2) ◽

pp. 96-117

Author(s):

Seyuan Shu

Keyword(s):

Free Will ◽

Physical World ◽

Philosophical Problem ◽

Theory Of Relativity ◽

Wave Mechanics ◽

Basic Assumptions ◽

Fundamental Formula

This paper attempts to show:(a) The nature of the basic assumptions made either explicitly or implicitly by L. de Broglie in arriving at the fundamental formula, [Formula: see text], of wave mechanics, and that at least some of these assumptions are open to criticism.(b) That it is a little too hasty to regard as demonstrated the non-localization of photons or electrons in motion and the lack of determinism with respect to them.(c) That the presuppositions which lead to the 'relations of incertitude' involve highly arbitrary elements and these 'relations' are read into or arbitrarily imposed upon the physical world rather than really found to be in it.(d) That it is an unwarranted claim that the new mechanics can contribute to the solution of the age-long philosophical problem of free will.(e) That it is possible to render the foundations of wave mechanics logically independent of the theory of relativity.

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The dream body in somatic psychology

Gesture ◽

10.1075/gest.2.1.04you ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 45-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Katharine Young

Keyword(s):

Free Will ◽

Virtual Space ◽

Philosophical Problem ◽

Somatic Psychology ◽

Effect Change ◽

Therapeutic Session ◽

Pictorial Representations ◽

The Way

Gestures have been investigated primarily as pictorial representations intended to communicate information to their perceivers visually. This paper argues that affiliative gestures, the gestures affiliated with words, are neither visual nor communicative. They are kinaesthetic apprehensions directed by gesturers to themselves. Perceivers do glean information from the gestures but this is not their primary intent. Gestural practices in a somatic therapeutic session provide a unique opportunity to examine the way gestures can be used to influence the gesturer. Specifically, gestures invest the gesturer in the narrative realm she conjures up on the therapeutic occasion, in this instance, a dream world. The somaticist then uses embodiments from the virtual space of the dream narrative to effect change on the therapeutic occasion. This practice illuminates the philosophical problem of free will: how we are able to influence our own embodied processes volitionally.

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When Mother Earth Rises Up

Social Psychology ◽

10.1027/1864-9335/a000112 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 44 (4) ◽

pp. 271-277 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Simona Sacchi ◽

Paolo Riva ◽

Marco Brambilla

Keyword(s):

Free Will ◽

Natural Disasters ◽

Natural Disaster ◽

Mental States ◽

Disaster Victims ◽

Willingness To Help ◽

Mother Earth

Anthropomorphization is the tendency to ascribe humanlike features and mental states, such as free will and consciousness, to nonhuman beings or inanimate agents. Two studies investigated the consequences of the anthropomorphization of nature on people’s willingness to help victims of natural disasters. Study 1 (N = 96) showed that the humanization of nature correlated negatively with willingness to help natural disaster victims. Study 2 (N = 52) tested for causality, showing that the anthropomorphization of nature reduced participants’ intentions to help the victims. Overall, our findings suggest that humanizing nature undermines the tendency to support victims of natural disasters.

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