Freedom (Fall 2010) - Final Exam

Free Will - Final Exam (F10)

Before you begin writing, read this entire document.

Answer five (5) questions. All key terms, theories, and named objections must be explained.

Answer one question from 1-3. (Agent Causation and Simple Indeterminism)

1. Evaluate Reid's Argument from the Idea of Causation for his agent-causal theory of free will.

(This question requires evaluation. Make sure that you explain the argument as clearly as you can before you evaluate it.)

2. Explain the Problem of Unconscious Desires for Ginet's theory of free will.

(This question does not ask for evaluation.)

3. Explain the Problem of the Force of Desire for Ginet's theory of free will.

(This question does not ask for evaluation.)

Answer question 4. (Hard Determinism and Free Will Impossibilism)

4. Evaluate G. Strawson's "Basic Argument." Does it assume what it is trying to prove? Why or why not?

(This question requires evaluation. Make sure that you explain the argument as clearly as you can before you evaluate it.)

Answer question 5. (Alternate Possibilities)

5. Explain "The Inderministic World Objection" to Frankfurt's argument against PAP.

(This question does not ask for evaluation. Make sure that you explain and motivate PAP. Then explain Frankfurt's objection. Finally, present the Indeterministic World Objection to Frankfurt's argument.)

Answer one question from 6-7. (The Psychology of Free Will)

6. Does Wegner's “I Spy” experiment give us good reason to think that we lack free will?

(This question requires evaluation. Explain the experiment and how it might be used in argument against the claim that we have libertarian free will. Then evaluate the argument.)

7. Do Libet's experiments give us good reason to think that consciousness is irrelevant to moral decision making?

(This question requires evaluation. Explain the experiments and how it might be used in argument against the claim that we have libertarian free will. Then evaluate the argument.)

Answer one question from 8-10. (Illusionism and Alternatives)

8. Would love be less valuable if hard incompatibilism were true? Would an acceptance of hard incompatibilism undermined romantic love? Does The Romance of Tristan and Iseult support Pereboom's argument?

(This question is fairly open. But I do want you to consider Pereboom's argument and give some consideration to the novel. Since space is tight, you do not need to discuss The Liberty of Indifference or Strawson the Elder unless you find it helpful.)

9. Evaluate Smilansky's "Unprincipled Nihilism" argument for Illusionism. Would a general acceptance of hard determinism lead to a unprincipled nihilism?

(This question requires evaluation. Make sure that you explain the argument as clearly as you can before you evaluate it. Do not evaluate the argument for hard determinism. Just assume that hard determinism is true for the sake of argument.)

10. Evaluate Pereboom's argument for the claim that we would be better off if we could curb our moral anger. This is one of the putative benefits of accepting hard determinism.

Note: In order to evaluate a theory, you must first explain the theory. When explaining a counterexample to a definition, you need to specify whether the example shows that a proposed condition is not necessary, not sufficient, or neither.

If you are evaluating an argument, you need to build up the argument and then show where it might go wrong. To build up an argument, you must do more than merely offer a formalization. You must explain the argument. Typically, showing where an argument goes wrong will require arguing that one of the premises is false.

When providing your own evaluations, be sure to consider obvious, compelling replies to your objections. If you think an argument is good, then you will need to defend it against the strongest objections that you can think of.

Note: Keep quotations to an absolute minimum. Never use a quotation to speak for you.

Due Date

Thursday 12/16/2010

Length

The complete midterm should be no more than 2,100 words. This is approximately 7 pages double-spaced in Arial 12 point font.

Format

The midterm must be typed. It should be double spaced. It should have one inch margins. You should use a 12 point font. I prefer Arial, since it is easy to read. Please follow the general paper and exam instructions under the "course documents / writing" section on Blackboard.

Write a separate essay for each answer. Do not try to answer all the questions in a single essay. Formal introductions and conclusions are unnecessary, though you must use paragraphs.

Please skip a line or two between your answers. Include the question number at the start of each answer. Do not copy the questions.

Goal

You don't have much space, so you will need to be clear and to the point. Clarity should be your chief goal in writing the midterm. Pick your words carefully. Write to be understood. Assume that you are writing the paper to be read by someone completely unfamiliar with the issues.

Keep formalization to a minimum. Clarity and precision are not the same. Excessive formalization impedes clarity. Only formalize key definitions and arguments when it will help the reader understand what you are trying to say.

I want you to explain the theories and objections as clearly as you can within the space allotted. I do not want papers that are longer than the word limit. The space limitation is designed to force you to practice verbal economy. That said, it is impossible to write a set of adequate answers in much less space. You'll have to use most of the space, and use it well.

Procedure

I do not need a hard copy. Nor do I need an email copy. Simply submit the final through Safe Assign via Blackboard by 11:59 pm on the due date.* Safe Assign is a plagiarism detection tool. It will compare your paper against others available online, in journals, submitted in this class, RIC, and from all other universities that use the software.

*If you are unable to submit the paper to Safe Assign due to technical difficulties, you must send an email to the helpdesk <helpdesk@ric.edu> explaining the problem. Make sure to CC me. If this happens, send me a copy of your paper as an attachment. Note: I will not accept your paper if you don't report the problem to the helpdesk.

Note: Plagiarism will result in a failing grade in the class, not just on this assignment.

Grading

Your paper should be clearly written, well-structured, and free of grammatical and spelling errors. It is practically impossible to get higher than a C if you start writing the night before the paper is due. The grading scale is as follows:

A = excellent

B = good

C = meets minimal expectations

D = bad

F = awful

Resources

Before writing this paper you must read several documents under the writing section of Blackboard. Read the following: 1. Writing Tip Sheet, 2. General Instructions, 3. Kagan's "How to Write a Philosophy Paper", 3. Pryor's "Guidelines for Writing Philosophy Papers", and 4. Pryor's "Glossary of Philosophical Terms."