Helen Steward on Free Will

Tom presents this on 22 June 2018.

In addition to general introduction I want to outline the recent approach by Helen Steward (Professor of Philosophy of Mind and Action, University of Leeds). She tries to challenge the ‘stalemate’ in the debate between determinists and libertarians, by proposing a more basic type of free will that we may share with higher animals.

So I have included an article by her (see attached PDF). If you’d rather listen to her, there’s a 1 hr recording of her giving a talk on the same topic. Finally, Helen Steward herself references a short video on problem solving by crows, which I’d highly recommend – it’s amazing.

Cheers

Tom

Resources

    • 10 min YouTube …..Hank Green presents a ‘crash course’ on Determinism vs Free Will. It’s very brash and ‘in your face’, but actually hits on a number of the pivotal points of the debate in a highly entertaining manner, and is very time efficient.
    • Determinism vs Free Will: Crash Course Philosophy #24 Determinism vs Free Will: Crash Course Philosophy #24
    • 9 min YouTube … Hank Green’s Part 2 of presentation on Determinism vs Free Will. Compatibilism: Crash Course Philosophy #25 Compatibilism: Crash Course Philosophy #25
    • In the video he poses the question: If a growth in your brain – which you have n control over – causes you to have impulses that you also have no control over – do you act freely if you act on those urges
    • Article by Stephen Cave (philosopher in Berlin & UK) from 2016, in the Atlantic titled: “There’s No Such Thing as Free Will. But we’re better off believing in it anyway” There’s No Such Thing as Free Will

(There’s also a follow-up short article by him where he clarifies his personal belief on the topic - Free Will Exists and Is Measurable – rather than just reporting on a popular view – i.e Free will doesn’t exist. https://www.theatlantic.com/author/stephen-cave/

Alternatively here’s a 1 hr talk by Helen Steward on the same topic …… Helen Steward: Action as Downward Causation