What are the alternative possibilities?
An alternate possibility is simply another option that an agent has at the time that he or she acts. This principle may hold in part because of the Ought Implies Can principle, which states that a subject ought to do something only if she can do that action.
What is the condition of alternate possibilities Kane )?
In motivating his condition (UR), Kane says, “Klein calls the condition in question the ‘Ultimacy-condition’ and defines it as follows: ‘Agents should be ultimately responsible for their morally relevant decisions or choices- ultimately in the sense that nothing for which they are not responsible should be the source [ …
What is alternate possibility principle?
A dominant role in nearly all recent inquiries into the free-will problem has been played by a principle which I shall call “the principle of alternate possibilities.” This principle states that a person is morally responsible for what he has done only if he could have done otherwise.
What is Frankfurt’s argument?
Frankfurt cases (also known as Frankfurt counterexamples or Frankfurt-style cases) were presented by philosopher Harry Frankfurt in 1969 as counterexamples to the principle of alternate possibilities (PAP), which holds that an agent is morally responsible for an action only if that person could have done otherwise.
Which philosophers are hard determinists?
William James was an American pragmatist philosopher who coined the terms “soft determinist” and “hard determinist” in an influential essay titled “The Dilemma of Determinism”. He argued against determinism, holding that the important issue is not personal responsibility, but hope.
What is libertarian freedom?
Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, emphasizing free association, freedom of choice, individualism and voluntary association. Libertarians share a skepticism of authority and state power, but some libertarians diverge on the scope of their opposition to existing economic and political systems.
Is Kane a determinist?
Causal indeterminism. Kane is one of the leading contemporary philosophers on free will.
WHO CAME UP WITH principle of alternate possibilities?
Harry Frankfurt
Harry Frankfurt describes the principle of alternate possibilities (PAP) as follows: “A person is morally responsible for what he has done only if he could have done otherwise” (Frankfurt 1969, p. 829; emphasis added).
Was Frankfurt a determinist?
So far we have been discussing various problems for the thesis that we have free will. The view that free will is compatible with determinism is called compatibilism. Harry Frankfurt is a prominent defender of a compatibilist view of free will.
Are hard determinists Incompatibilists?
Hard determinism Those who reject free will and accept determinism are variously known as “hard determinists”, hard incompatibilists, free will skeptics, illusionists, or impossibilists. They believe that there is no ‘free will’ and that any sense of the contrary is an illusion.
Is Van Inwagen a determinist?
Van Inwagen made a significant reputation for himself by bucking the trend among philosophers in most of the twentieth century to accept compatibilism, the idea that free will is compatible with a strict causal determinism.
Are Libertarians Incompatibilists?
The incompatibilist view is pursued further in at least three different ways: libertarians deny that the universe is deterministic, hard determinists deny that any free will exists, and pessimistic incompatibilists (hard indeterminists) deny both that the universe is determined and that free will exists.
Which is an example of an alternate possibility?
An alternate possibility is simply another option that an agent has at the time that he or she acts. This principle may hold in part because of the Ought Implies Can principle, which states that a subject ought to do something only if she can do that action.1 So,…
What is the problem of alternate possibilities and moral responsibility?
The problem of alternate possibilities and moral responsibility is one that philosophers continue to pursue, and understanding this issue is important for understanding our moral assessments of people and their actions. 1 See Widerker, David. “Frankfurt on ‘Ought Implies Can’ and Alternative Possibilities”.
When do you not have an alternative course of action?
The principle tells us that when alternatives are blocked, when only one course of action is available, you are not responsible for what you do. As noted earlier, there are some extreme conditions, such as coercion, that can preclude responsibility by blocking alternatives.
Who is the founder of the principle of alternate possibilities?
Principle of alternate possibilities. The principle of alternate possibilities (PAP) forms part of an influential argument for the incompatibility of responsibility and causal determinism, often called the core argument for incompatibilism. It was formulated by libertarian Robert Kane. This argument is detailed below:
What is the principle of alternate possibilities ( PAP )?
The principle of alternate possibilities (PAP) forms part of an influential argument for the incompatibility of responsibility and causal determinism, often called the core argument for incompatibilism. This argument is detailed below: (1) PAP: An agent is responsible for an action only if said agent could have done otherwise.
What is the principle of alternative possibilities in moral responsibility?
There’s a natural reading of such defenses on which they appeal to the principle at the center of this entry, the “Principle of Alternative Possibilities” (cp. Frankfurt 1969): Principle of Alternative Possibilities (PAP): a person is morally responsible for what she has done only if she could have done otherwise.
Is the principle of alternate possibilities an argument for incompatibilism?
The principle of alternate possibilities (PAP) forms part of an influential argument for the incompatibility of responsibility and causal determinism, often called the core argument for incompatibilism.