Customer Reviews

Free Will (Oxford Readings in Philosophy)

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It is easy to overestimate a book from Oxford University Press with the brief title "Free Will." One is inclined to think that this will describe all of the in's and out's of the ancient and fascinating problem. Though a little reflection ought to make clear that no book of 450-odd pages could ever do justice to the task, it is still an impression that is hard to shake.

Be advised that is a textbook--it is meant to introduce particular subject matter to students. It is not an introduction to the problem of free will and it is not a solution to the problem of free will. Just as the back cover states: "This volume brings together some of the most influential contributions to the topic...[made] during the past 50 years, as well as some notable recent work." This means three things:

1. The essays are those mainstream academic philosophers consider to be the most influential essays published on the subject since World War II, as well as a few that the editor thought would be interesting to throw in.

2. These essays are collected so that it is relatively cheap and easy to get at them. Few would be willing to dig through The Proceedings of the British Academy from 1962, for example. Still others of these essays could not be obtained in print anywhere else, such as Chisholm's and Watson's excellent introduction.

3. Expect only passing reference to ancient, Medieval, Enlightenment, and "Continental" treatment of the question. Remember that this is coming from from Anglophones, who do not generally read contemporary philosophy from outside their world.

Once one understands these limitations, one can appreciate the book for what it is: an engaging, informative, and very useful introduction to a cross-section of the free will debate. These essays are very good and have been influential for good reason.

One thing I did find disappointing, though, was the dropping of Charles Taylor's "Responsibility for Self" from the first edition. That is a marvelous essay that looks at the problem in a new way under the influence of Hegel and Heidegger.

The selection of essays is standard; the production standards of the book are low. Since the first edition, Oxford University Press has transferred this title to digital printing, which means that the book's typeface is 'dirty' and of fax quality. As this is a mere reprint (of the aforementioned bad technical quality) it also does not contain any new writing on the problem of free will. This books is not good value for money; most of the classic papers can be found in other anthologies, such as the one in the Hackett series, while the more recent ones reflect a biased perspective from 15 years ago.

I got this for a paper and it was extremely useful. The shipper was fast to send and the condition was perfect.