Question 1

According to the compatibilist, an action can be determined and voluntary.

Accepted Answer

Compatibilism is the philosophical position that free will and determinism are compatible ideas, and that it is possible to believe both without being logically inconsistent. Compatibilists argue that freedom can be present or absent in situations for reasons that do not depend on metaphysical determinism. Therefore, according to compatibilists, an action can be both determined by prior events or states of the world and still be voluntary if the person acted according to their desires, intentions, or will.

Question 2

The libertarian would differ with the compatibilist on the definition of &#34;free actions.&#34;

Accepted Answer

Libertarians and compatibilists have different views on free will and determinism. Libertarians argue that free actions are those not determined by prior events or natural laws, implying that true free will exists. In contrast, compatibilists believe that free actions can still be determined by prior events or natural laws, as long as the individual could have acted differently if they had wanted to.

Question 3

The compatibilist claims that since our actions are determined, none of them can be free.

Accepted Answer

Compatibilists argue that free will is compatible with determinism, meaning that even if our actions are determined, we can still act freely if we act according to our desires and intentions.

Question 4

The compatibilist claims that the reasons for our actions are really causes that we did not choose.

Accepted Answer

Compatibilism is the view that free will and determinism are not incompatible. Compatibilists argue that our actions are caused by our reasons, but that these reasons are not external forces that we cannot control. Rather, our reasons are internal states that we choose to act on.

Question 5

According to Harry Frankfurt, second-order desires are the positive or negative attitudes we have toward our first-order desires.

Accepted Answer

Second-order desires are indeed the desires about our desires, reflecting our attitudes or wishes regarding whether we want to have certain first-order desires (our immediate desires to do or want something). Harry Frankfurt introduced this concept to distinguish between desires that merely drive us without our endorsement and those we truly want to motivate our actions, emphasizing the complexity of human will and autonomy.

Question 6

According to the compatibilist, we can be morally responsible for some of our actions even though they are determined.

Accepted Answer

Compatibilism is the view that free will and determinism are compatible ideas, and it is possible to believe in both without being logically inconsistent. Compatibilists argue that we can be morally responsible for our actions even if those actions are determined by prior causes.

Question 7

The compatibilist believes that actions done from neurotic compulsions are voluntary as long as they were not forced on us by external causes.

Accepted Answer

Compatibilists believe that free will is compatible with determinism, but they do not consider actions from neurotic compulsions as voluntary because such actions are not the result of rational deliberation or self-control.

Question 8

Libertarians claim that the compatibilist's distinction between voluntary and involuntary actions is questionable because&#10;A) all actions are really voluntary.&#10;B) both kinds of actions are caused, according to the compatibilist.&#10;C) the compatibilist doesn't believe there are voluntary actions.&#10;D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Libertarians argue against compatibilism by pointing out that, according to compatibilists, both voluntary and involuntary actions are caused by prior events. This challenges the meaningful distinction between voluntary and involuntary actions, as both are seen as part of a causal chain, undermining the compatibilist's effort to reconcile free will with determinism.

Question 9

The compatibilist seeks to reconcile determinism and&#10;A) freedom.&#10;B) moral responsibility.&#10;C) voluntary actions.&#10;D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Compatibilists argue that determinism is compatible with freedom, moral responsibility, and voluntary actions, seeking to reconcile these concepts.

Question 10

Stace claims that a free action is an action which&#10;A) is impossible.&#10;B) has as its immediate causes, states of affairs external to the agent.&#10;C) has no determining cause.&#10;D) has as its immediate causes, psychological states in the agent.

Accepted Answer

Stace's view on free actions is that they are not uncaused but rather are caused by internal states of the agent, such as beliefs, desires, or motivations. This means that for an action to be considered free, it must stem from the psychological states within the agent, rather than being caused by external factors or having no cause at all.

Question 11

According to the compatibilist, when we act on the basis of reasons, our action is&#10;A) caused and voluntary.&#10;B) caused and involuntary.&#10;C) uncaused and voluntary.&#10;D) uncaused and involuntary.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the compatibilist, when we act...

Question 12

According to the compatibilist, the statement &#34;I could have done otherwise&#34;is&#10;A) meaningless, since we have no free will.&#10;B) based on the assumption that we are not determined.&#10;C) equivalent to the statement &#34;I would have done otherwise if I had so chosen.&#34;&#10;D) a and b

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the compatibilist, the statement &#34;I...

Question 13

How would the determinist, the libertarian, and the compatibilist answer the question: &#34;Are we ever morally responsible for our actions?&#34; State the reasons each would give for their answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of How would the determinist, the libertarian, and...

Question 14

Discuss how libertarians and compatibilists differ in their definition of &#34;free action.&#34; Explain how each would attack the other's definition.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss how libertarians and compatibilists differ in...

Question 15

In what ways do determinists and compatibilists agree concerning the causes of our behavior? In what ways do they disagree concerning whether our actions are ever free andvoluntary? In what ways might the determinists and libertarian disagree with the compatibilistconcerning the conditions necessary to be morally responsible?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In what ways do determinists and compatibilists...

Deck 21: Compatibilism: How to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too