Customer Reviews

Four Views on Free Will (Great Debates in Philosophy)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Each of the four essays primary essays in this book provide very clear and concise introductions to their respective views of free will. The essays are written so as to be quite approachable to those who are not well-steeped in the contemporary free will debates; and it is also quite useful for those who do study free will, in that it provides a cursory overview of the key points of each view. This book would be perfect for an upper-division Metaphysics course, which covers free will and moral responsibility. Highly recommended.

This slim volume serves as a fantastic introduction to the problems in philosophy on the subject of free will. What is unique about this book is that it gives equal weight to four different theories: libertarianism, compatibilism, incompatibilism, and revisionism. These are hardly the only four theories out there, but they are definitely the most important and the most seriously considered options.

After the four theorists are done laying out their case for their preferred view, there are chapters where each philosopher responds to the claims the others have made. This structure is important because it enables the reader to understand why a philosopher might believe a certain view without the reader himself believing it. This knowledgeable stance is vital to communicating the problems of moral responsibility and free will in an academic setting.

This book is a fabulous intro to the topic of free will. It shouldn't be too difficult a read for most and gives a great overview of the arguments for each position. Also, it introduces many of the same ideas that a basic intro book would, but in the context of argument, which can make it more interesting for those more well versed in philosophy.

One of my favorite books.
It helped me to define my beliefs.
Additionally, it gave me argumentative strength in debates with my philosophy professor.
Particularly, the book was crucial in my defending an opposing view to that of my professor who tried to convince the whole class an entire semester that free will did not exist.