Free Will and Action Explanation

A Non-Causal, Compatibilist Account

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Cover of the book Free Will and Action Explanation by Scott Sehon, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Scott Sehon ISBN: 9780191076176
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: April 28, 2016
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: Scott Sehon
ISBN: 9780191076176
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: April 28, 2016
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

Do we have free will and moral responsibility? Is free will compatible with determinism? Scott Sehon argues that we can make progress on these questions by focusing on an underlying issue: the nature of action explanation. When a person acts, or does something on purpose, we explain the behavior by citing the agent's reasons. The dominant view in philosophy of mind has been to construe such explanations as a species of causal explanation. Part I of the book proposes and defends a non-causal account of action and agency, according to which reason explanation of human behavior is irreducibly teleological rather than causal. Part II applies the teleological account of action to free will and responsibility, arguing that the free actions—the ones for which we are directly responsible—are the goal-directed actions, the actions that are teleologically explicable in terms of our reasons. It is then argued that this non-causal account of action undermines the appeal of incompatibilist arguments, arguments attempting to show that free will is not compatible with determinism. Beyond this, Sehon argues that the non-causal compatibilist account works well in practice: it is in accord with our clear intuitions about cases, and it both explains and provides guidance in the cases where our intuitions are murkier.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Do we have free will and moral responsibility? Is free will compatible with determinism? Scott Sehon argues that we can make progress on these questions by focusing on an underlying issue: the nature of action explanation. When a person acts, or does something on purpose, we explain the behavior by citing the agent's reasons. The dominant view in philosophy of mind has been to construe such explanations as a species of causal explanation. Part I of the book proposes and defends a non-causal account of action and agency, according to which reason explanation of human behavior is irreducibly teleological rather than causal. Part II applies the teleological account of action to free will and responsibility, arguing that the free actions—the ones for which we are directly responsible—are the goal-directed actions, the actions that are teleologically explicable in terms of our reasons. It is then argued that this non-causal account of action undermines the appeal of incompatibilist arguments, arguments attempting to show that free will is not compatible with determinism. Beyond this, Sehon argues that the non-causal compatibilist account works well in practice: it is in accord with our clear intuitions about cases, and it both explains and provides guidance in the cases where our intuitions are murkier.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Picturing the Apocalypse by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book Remedies for Breach of Contract by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book From Dual to Cooperative Federalism by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book The Law of Targeting by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book Trustee Decision Making: The Rule in Re Hastings-Bass by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book Love, Friendship, and the Self by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book Myth and Reality of the Legitimacy Crisis by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book Selected Letters by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book Layered Superconductors by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book Traces of Terror by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of the Corporation by Scott Sehon
Cover of the book Multicultural Odysseys : Navigating the New International Politics of Diversity by Scott Sehon
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy