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Mechanical Choices: A Compatibilist Libertarian Response
1Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
Criminal Law and Philosophy
|June 26, 2023
Summary
This study defends free will and responsibility against neuroscience challenges, proposing a stronger compatibilist libertarian view. It argues for robust free will and responsibility, even with physical determinism, while questioning retributive punishment.
Area of Science:
- Philosophy of Mind
- Neuroscience
- Legal Philosophy
Background:
- Neuroscience challenges traditional notions of free will and responsibility.
- Michael S. Moore defends free will against these challenges, emphasizing rational agency.
- Classical compatibilism faces limitations in fully accounting for free will.
Purpose of the Study:
- To defend free will and moral/legal responsibility against neuroscientific critiques.
- To evaluate the adequacy of classical compatibilism for defending free will.
- To propose a more robust defense of free will and responsibility.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical argumentation and conceptual analysis.
- Critique of classical compatibilism.
- Development of a compatibilist libertarian framework.
Main Results:
- Classical compatibilism, even amended, is insufficient for a robust defense of free will.
- A compatibilist libertarian position offers a stronger account of free will and responsibility.
- Alternative possibilities and mental causation exist at the agency level, compatible with determinism.
Conclusions:
- Free will and responsibility can be robustly defended, even under physical determinism.
- Moore's arguments can be strengthened by adopting a compatibilist libertarian stance.
- Independent reasons exist to reject retributivist punishment despite defensible responsibility.
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