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Freedom from what? Separating lay concepts of freedom
Claire Simmons1, Paul Rehren2, John-Dylan Haynes3
1Duke University Kenan School of Ethics, 1364 Campus Dr, Durham, NC 27705, USA; Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, 308 Research Dr, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Consciousness and Cognition
|April 9, 2022
Summary
Philosophical debates on free will and moral responsibility may stem from differing definitions of freedom. This study reveals that individuals denying freedom in determined or inevitable scenarios focus on determinism or inevitability, not constraint.
Area of Science:
- Philosophy of Mind
- Moral Psychology
- Metaphysics
Background:
- Centuries-old debates persist regarding free will, agency, and moral responsibility.
- Disagreements may arise from divergent conceptualizations of freedom.
- Previous research suggests differing interpretations of freedom influence these debates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that differing concepts of freedom underlie debates on free will.
- To investigate whether individuals asserting freedom focus on freedom from constraint.
- To examine if individuals denying freedom focus on freedom from determination or inevitability.
Main Methods:
- Conducted two online studies to test hypotheses regarding concepts of freedom.
- Study I presented determined (D) and counterfactual-intervener (CI) scenarios.
- Study II investigated a bypassing hypothesis linking determinism, mental causation, and freedom.
Main Results:
- Study I supported the hypothesis that denying freedom in D/CI scenarios relates to focusing on determinism/inevitability.
- Participants denying freedom in D/CI scenarios considered freedom from constraint in modified scenarios.
- Study II found that determinism's exclusion of freedom did not generally exclude mental causation.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the hypothesis that differing concepts of freedom drive disagreements on free will.
- Participants' focus shifts between freedom from constraint and freedom from determination/inevitability.
- Results challenge the bypassing hypothesis, indicating a focus on constraint is key.
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