Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

jamesj t1_j99ebw7 wrote

Reply to comment by Thelonious_Cube in Compatibilism is supported by deep intuitions about responsibility and control. It can also feel "obviously" wrong and absurd. Slavoj Žižek's commentary can help us navigate the intuitive standoff. by matthewharlow

  1. If someone acts of her own free will, then she could have done otherwise.
  2. If determinism is true, no one can do otherwise than one actually does.
  3. Therefore, if determinism is true, no one acts of her own free will.

Is the standard argument.

What's your argument for your claim?

2

Thelonious_Cube t1_j9e0xid wrote

That "could have done otherwise" means there's a possible world in which a different choice was made, not that determinism is false.

1

jamesj t1_j9e2cn6 wrote

In practice I live in only one world. My position is that I couldn't have done otherwise and any other very-nearly-mes in other worlds also couldn't have.

1

Thelonious_Cube t1_j9e2jnx wrote

That ignores the purpose of possible-world thinking

1

jamesj t1_j9e35d1 wrote

Theorizing worlds doesn't make them true. The fact we can imagine other worlds doesn't make them exist. They could exist, they might exist, but I'm still not in control of which one I end up in, even if they do exist.

1