Compatibilism

Compatibilism

1. Freedom compatible with determinism, denies liberty of indifference (in my power to act in a certain number of ways, able to reason and control) asserts liberty of sponteneity (free if can act according to decisions without coercion or hindrance)

2. Hume said free will is 'the power of acting or not acting' - action caused by choice (choice may have been caused by other events)

   • Weak notion of freewill - not really free because to be free is i could have chosen differently
     • E.g. smoking - if chose not to would not have - but cant choose differently because controlled by addiction

3. Hume thought no necessary connection between events in world - just happens to be the way, uniform and contingent

   • E.g. accounts in history of of people who share common motives and behaviours
   • Constant conjunction of cause and effect is causation - regular
   • My desires still determined by my character (social, environment and biological conditioning) but connection between desires and actions is not necessary.
   • Motives and actions go together throughout history
   • Does not allow for the same person to act differently in the same situation- because of regularity - if impossible to act differently are we really free?
     • Hume would respond with hidden causes - if you had had wanted to act differently there would have been hidden causes causing this
   • If character determined by exposure to violence as a child - release frustration through violence against children - am i really free? Law consider me free? Or drug addict? If cannot choose desire not really free