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LUCK AND HISTORY-SENSITIVE COMPATIBILISM.

Neil Levy1

  • 1Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, University of Melbourne, and James Martin 21st Century School, Oxford University.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Libertarianism faces a present luck problem due to indeterminism. This paper argues compatibilism also suffers from present luck, undermining history-sensitive views and their responses to constitutive luck.

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Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Action
  • Metaphysics
  • Moral Responsibility

Background:

  • Libertarianism requires indeterminism for free will, facing a 'present luck' problem.
  • Compatibilism, traditionally seen as avoiding this issue, is re-examined.
  • Constitutive luck concerns factors beyond an agent's control in shaping their character.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate that compatibilism, contrary to common belief, is also susceptible to the problem of present luck.
  • To analyze the implications of present luck for history-sensitive compatibilist theories.
  • To challenge the adequacy of compatibilist responses to luck in moral responsibility.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical argumentation and conceptual analysis.
  • Examination of the causal chains leading to free actions.
  • Critique of existing compatibilist frameworks, particularly history-sensitive ones.

Main Results:

  • Compatibilism, like libertarianism, faces a significant problem of present luck.
  • History-sensitive compatibilism is particularly vulnerable, as the problem of present luck undermines its defense against constitutive luck.
  • The identified problem poses a serious challenge to the coherence of certain compatibilist accounts of free will and moral responsibility.

Conclusions:

  • The problem of present luck is not exclusive to libertarianism and significantly impacts compatibilism.
  • History-sensitive compatibilist theories struggle to adequately address the challenges posed by both present and constitutive luck.
  • This analysis necessitates a revision of compatibilist strategies for reconciling free will with determinism and luck.