Every day we seem to make and act upon all kinds of choices: some trivial, others so consequential that they change the course of one's life, or even the course of history. But are these choices really free, or are we compelled to act the way we do by factors beyond our control? Is the feeling that we could have made different decisions just an illusion? And if our choices are not free, is it legitimate to hold people morally responsible for their actions? Thomas Pink looks at the fundamental philosophical question of free will, critically examining the claim: If our actions are causally determined by events beyond our control, that means that we can never act freely, and so can never be held responsible for our actions.

Free Will: A Very Short Introduction

Politics & Social Sciences

PINK, Thomas

Philosophy

Oxford University Press

Self-Determination: The Ethics of Action, Volume 1

Thomas Pink offers a new approach to the problem of free will. Do we have control of how we act, so that we are free to act in more than one way, and does it matter to morality whether we do? Pink argues that what matters to morality is not in fact the freedom to do otherwise, but something more primitive - a basic capacity or power to determine for ourselves what we do. This capacity might or might not take the form of a freedom to act in more than one way, and it might or might not be compatible with causal determinism. What really matters to morality is that it is we who determine what we do. What we do must not simply be a function of powers or capacities for which we are not responsible, or a matter of mere chance. At the heart of moral responsibility is a distinctive form of power that is quite unlike ordinary causation - a power by which we determine outcomes in a way quite differently from the way ordinary causes determine outcomes. Pink examines how this power is involved in action, and how the nature of action permits the operation of such a power to determine it.

Thomas Pink offers a new approach to the problem of free will. Do we have control of how we act, so that we are free to act in more than one way, and does it matter to morality whether we do? Pink argues that what matters to morality is not in fact the freedom to do otherwise, but something more primitive - a basic capacity or power to determine for ourselves what we do. This capacity might or might not take the form of a freedom to act in more than one way, and it might or might not be compatible with causal determinism. What really matters to morality is that it is we who determine what we do. What we do must not simply be a function of powers or capacities for which we are not responsible, or a matter of mere chance. At the heart of moral responsibility is a distinctive form of power that is quite unlike ordinary causation - a power by which we determine outcomes in a way quite differently from the way ordinary causes determine outcomes. Pink examines how this power is involved in action, and how the nature of action permits the operation of such a power to determine it.

This book considers our freedom of action, and what sort of mind, or psychology, that freedom requires. It argues that our freedom of action depends on our being able to decide freely which actions we shall perform; in other words, to have freedom of action, we need a free will. It shows how our decisions to act are actions themselves, but with the special function of ensuring the rationality of the actions that they explain. The book seeks to resolve a range of problems about the nature both of action and rationality.

The Psychology of Freedom

Cambridge University Press

This book considers our freedom of action, and what sort of mind, or psychology, that freedom requires. It argues that our freedom of action depends on our being able to decide freely which actions we shall perform; in other words, to have freedom of action, we need a free will. It shows how our decisions to act are actions themselves, but with the special function of ensuring the rationality of the actions that they explain. The book seeks to resolve a range of problems about the nature both of action and rationality.

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English Grammer Composition and Correspondence

Reference

Words, Language & Grammar

Fisher Press

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Books by PINK, Thomas

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by PINK, Thomas. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Free Will: A Very Short Introduction

Self-Determination: The Ethics of Action, Volume 1

Self-Determination: The Ethics of Action, Volume 1

The Psychology of Freedom

The Psychology of Freedom

English Grammer Composition and Correspondence