This course focuses on philosophical debates regarding freedom of the will and its relation to a deterministic view of nature. Are human beings mere cogs in the universe, and are human actions causally determined like other events in nature? Is determinism compatible with freedom of the will? Should we weaken our conception of the one in order to reconcile it with the other? Why or why not? We will examine some of the classic defenses of the main positions on these issues as well as more recent texts. The latter category includes philosophical responses to neuroscientific and psychological research that is claimed to show that free will is an illusion.
Onderwijsvorm
Lectures and seminar
Toetsing
Oral presentation, written exam, research paper
Literatuur
Texts to be discussed will be made available on Blackboard.
Rooster
see Timetable MA in Philosophy 2008-2009
Aanmelden
Please register for this course via U-twist. See registration procedure
Informatie
prof.dr. P. Kleingeld (p.kleingeld@phil.leidenuniv.nl)
Opmerkingen
Specialisation: Practical Philosophy