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- I recommend against writing on freedom of will, and in
particular on the possible conflict between freedom and divine
foreknowledge and/or divine causation. However, if you feel you must
write about this, either on its own or as part of one of the above
topics, I urge you to think carefully about the following (by which I
mean, about our authors' views on the following). (1) What
exactly is supposed to happen in a rational being when it ``freely
chooses'' to do something? In particular, what, in that case, is
supposed to be the relationship between its prior state (of belief,
desire, etc.) and the action that follows? (2) What, if
anything, is the relationship between acting freely and (a) acting
without outside influences; (b) possibly acting in one of two
different ways; (c) possibly acting wrongly? (3) What, if
anything, is the relationship between acting freely and knowing or
believing or understanding some good reasons for acting, and why? (4)
What, if anything, is the relationship between acting freely
and being responsible and/or potentially culpable for one's action,
and why?
- I recommend against writing about the ``formation'' of
personal ``identity.'' However, if you feel you must write about this,
either on its own or as part of one of the above topics, I urge you to
distinguish carefully between the following issues (at least). (1) Who
or what makes me (causes me) to exist? (2) What characteristics, if
any, do I have which no one or nothing else has? (3) What
characteristics, if any, are essential to me (so that I would not be
what/whom I am without them)? (4) Who or what, if anything, causes me
to have those characteristics? (5) Are some or all of those
characteristics relative, and if so to what? (For example: is
it essential to me that I am short? That I occupy a certain position
relative to others in society?) (Notice this is not necessarily the
same as [3]. For example, it seems that tall people didn't do
something to me to make me short. Similarly, it seems that my students
didn't make me a professor; the University did.) (6) What makes me
think I am the kind of person/thing that I think I am?
(For example: by trying really hard, either I or someone else might be
able to make me think that I'm a knight errant, or Napoleon, or an
eggplant. But would that make me actually become a knight
errant, Napoleon, or an eggplant?) Of course, you might think that
some of those supposedly different questions are really the same (some
philosophers have). The relevant issue, however, is whether our
authors and/or their characters distinguish between them: if they do,
you had better keep them straight for purposes of interpretation; if
you think they don't, then you would need to show that.
Next: About this document ...
Up: HUMA 11600, Winter 2005,
Previous: Suggested Topics
Abe Stone
2005-09-28