Question 1

Indeterminism implies libertarianism.

Accepted Answer

Indeterminism is the philosophical concept that not all events are determined by preceding causes, while libertarianism (in the context of free will) argues for free will that is not determined by prior events or causal laws. While indeterminism is a necessary condition for libertarian free will, it does not automatically imply libertarianism, as one could believe in indeterminism without committing to the specific claims about free will made by libertarians.

Question 2

Freedom of action requires a causal break in the choice process.

Accepted Answer

Freedom of action can be understood within a framework where choices are causally influenced by one's desires, beliefs, and character without requiring a break in the causal chain. This perspective allows for actions to be both free and causally determined by an individual's motivations and circumstances.

Question 3

Libertarianism implies that people are always responsible for what they do.

Accepted Answer

Libertarianism emphasizes individual freedom and autonomy, but it also recognizes that various factors (such as coercion, lack of information, or incapacity) can limit an individual's ability to make fully free choices, thus affecting the extent of their responsibility.

Question 4

According to "illusionism," we should tell everybody that their belief in free will is an illusion.

Accepted Answer

Illusionism, as a philosophical stance on consciousness and free will, suggests that our perceptions of having a free will are illusory. However, it does not necessarily advocate for telling everyone that their belief in free will is an illusion, as this could have negative societal and psychological impacts. The approach to communicating the idea of illusionism is more nuanced and does not involve outright denying people's experiences or beliefs in free will.

Question 5

If our lives are not fated, then we must have free will.

Accepted Answer

The absence of fate does not automatically imply the existence of free will, as other factors such as determinism or randomness could also negate free will without invoking fate.

Question 6

"We have free will when we can do what we want to do." This statement reflects the view of
A) classical compatibilism.
B) deep-self compatibilism.
C) libertarianism.
D) impossibilism.

Accepted Answer

Classical compatibilism posits that free will and determinism are compatible ideas, and that freedom can be present even if our actions are determined as long as we can act according to our desires without external constraints.

Question 7

Determinism is the view that
A) quantum physics correctly describes the behavior of subatomic particles.
B) all events are governed by causal laws.
C) not all events are governed by causal laws.
D) we must struggle against our fate.

Accepted Answer

Determinism is the philosophical concept that all events, including moral choices, are determined completely by previously existing causes. It's the idea that every event or state of affairs, including every human decision and action, is the consequence of preceding events in accordance with the natural laws.

Question 8

Determinism implies that all future events could be predicted if
A) there weren't so much chance of the world.
B) we were mystics.
C) we knew enough.
D) we had faith in God.

Accepted Answer

Determinism is the philosophical belief that all events are determined completely by previously existing causes. The idea is that if we had complete knowledge of all the causes (i.e., we knew enough), we could predict all future events. This concept relies on the understanding of cause and effect, not on mysticism, faith, or the elimination of chance.

Question 9

"You will die on August 10, 2041, no matter what you do." This statement would be an example of
A) hard impossibilism.
B) fatalism.
C) determinism.
D) deep-self compatibilism.

Accepted Answer

The statement is an example of fatalism because it suggests that a specific event (death on a particular date) is predetermined and unavoidable, regardless of any actions one might take. Fatalism is the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable.

Question 10

The problem with looking at our choices to see if they are free/uncaused is that
A) our choices might be determined.
B) it won't tell us how our actions happened.
C) there may be unconscious causes for those choices.
D) our choices might be fated.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The problem with looking at our choices...

Question 11

The hard determinist differs from the libertarian in believing
A) contra-causal freedom is conceptually coherent.
B) contra-causal freedom would be a desirable thing to have.
C) contra-causal freedom implies moral responsibility and vice versa.
D) we do not have contra-causal freedom.

Accepted Answer

Hard determinists argue that all events, including human actions, are determined by preceding events and laws of nature, thus denying the existence of contra-causal freedom (the ability to have acted differently under identical conditions). Libertarians, on the other hand, believe in contra-causal freedom as a necessary condition for moral responsibility.

Question 12

If God gave us free will, it's hard to see how God could
A) love humanity.
B) make a rock so big he can't lift it.
C) predict the future.
D) know the past.

Accepted Answer

The concept of free will implies that humans can make choices that are not predetermined, making it challenging for an omniscient being to predict the future if those choices are genuinely free and not predestined.

Question 13

Hard determinism says that
A) we are always responsible for what we do.
B) we are sometimes responsible for what we do.
C) we are never responsible for what we do.
D) it's hard to live with determinism.

Accepted Answer

Hard determinism argues that every event, including human actions, is determined by preceding events and natural laws, leaving no room for free will or moral responsibility.

Question 14

Hard impossibilism says that
A) events happened by chance.
B) free will puts a difficult burden on us.
C) free will is an incoherent notion.
D) free will is a perfectly sensible idea.

Accepted Answer

Hard impossibilism argues that the concept of free will is incoherent, meaning it cannot logically or cohesively exist within our understanding of the universe.

Question 15

Contra-causal freedom seems to imply a causal break somewhere in the choice process because
A) otherwise our choices would be governed by causal laws.
B) otherwise we would not have freedom of action.
C) otherwise our choices would be fated.
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

Contra-causal freedom, by definition, suggests that our choices are not determined by prior causes or causal laws. If our choices were governed by causal laws, then they would not be contra-causally free, as the essence of contra-causal freedom is the ability to make choices independent of the causal chain of events.

Question 16

Susan Wolf says that to have free will we must have a deep self that (a) can evaluate ourselves sensibly and accurately and (b)
A) is contra-causally free.
B) is fated to be free.
C) is sane.
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

Susan Wolf argues that for free will, our deep self must be sane, meaning it should be capable of rational self-evaluation and alignment with moral values.

Question 17

Quantum physics implies that
A) determinism is false.
B) indeterminism is false.
C) all events are fated.
D) no events are fated.

Accepted Answer

Quantum physics, through principles like Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, suggests that at a fundamental level, the behavior of particles is not strictly determined, implying that determinism is false.

Question 18

The impossibilist argument says that contra-causal freedom is impossible because
A) determinism is true.
B) contra-causal freedom makes no sense.
C) all our choices are fated.
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

The impossibilist argument against contra-causal freedom posits that the concept itself is incoherent or nonsensical, rather than arguing from the standpoint of determinism or fate.

Question 19

Impossibilism becomes hard impossibilism with the addition of the following premise:
A) It is hard being an impossibilist.
B) Freedom is compatible with determinism.
C) Responsibility requires contra-causal freedom.
D) Our choices might be determined.

Accepted Answer

Hard impossibilism adds the premise that moral responsibility requires the ability to have done otherwise in a contra-causal sense, meaning that an action could have been freely chosen otherwise than it was, independent of past events or the laws of nature.

Question 20

One difficulty in believing that all events are fated is that if they were fated
A) life should be much more orderly.
B) life should be much more chaotic.
C) we should get more of what we want.
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

The answer of One difficulty in believing that all events...

Quiz 4: Freedom and Responsibility

Indeterminism implies libertarianism.

Freedom of action requires a causal break in the choice process.

Libertarianism implies that people are always responsible for what they do.

According to "illusionism," we should tell everybody that their belief in free will is an illusion.

If our lives are not fated, then we must have free will.

"We have free will when we can do what we want to do." This statement reflects the view of

Determinism is the view that

Determinism implies that all future events could be predicted if

"You will die on August 10, 2041, no matter what you do." This statement would be an example of

The problem with looking at our choices to see if they are free/uncaused is that

The hard determinist differs from the libertarian in believing

If God gave us free will, it's hard to see how God could

Hard determinism says that

Hard impossibilism says that

Contra-causal freedom seems to imply a causal break somewhere in the choice process because

Susan Wolf says that to have free will we must have a deep self that (a) can evaluate ourselves sensibly and accurately and (b)

Quantum physics implies that

The impossibilist argument says that contra-causal freedom is impossible because

Impossibilism becomes hard impossibilism with the addition of the following premise:

One difficulty in believing that all events are fated is that if they were fated