The Limits of Free Will
Published on 9. November 2017
Book
Hardback
312 pages
978-0-19-062760-7 (ISBN)
Description
The Limits of Free Will contains a selection of papers concerning free will and moral responsibility. The problems arising in this field of philosophy, which are deeply rooted in the history of the subject, are also intimately related to a wide range of other fields, such as law and criminology, moral psychology, theology, and, more recently, neuroscience. The papers included in this collection were written and first published over a period of three decades, although most have appeared in the past decade or so. During this period this area of philosophy has been particularly active and it continues to attract a great deal of interest and attention. Among the topics covered, as they relate to these problems, are the challenge of skepticism; moral sentiment and moral capacity; necessity and the metaphysics of causation; practical reason; free will and art; fatalism and the limits of agency; moral luck, and our metaphysical attitudes of optimism and pessimism.
Some of the papers in this collection are primarily critical in character, presenting critiques and commentary on major works or contributions in the contemporary scene. Others are mainly constructive, aiming to develop and articulate a distinctive account of compatibilism. The general theory advanced, which is described as a form of "critical compatibilism", rejects any form of unqualified or radical skepticism but also insists that a plausible compatibilism has significant and substantive implications about the limits of agency and argues that this licenses a metaphysical attitude of (modest) pessimism on this topic. Finally, each paper in this collection is self-standing and can be read in isolation from the others. There is, nevertheless, a core set of themes and issues that unite and link them all together. The collection is arranged and organized in a format that enables the reader to appreciate and recognize these links and the core themes that unite them.
Some of the papers in this collection are primarily critical in character, presenting critiques and commentary on major works or contributions in the contemporary scene. Others are mainly constructive, aiming to develop and articulate a distinctive account of compatibilism. The general theory advanced, which is described as a form of "critical compatibilism", rejects any form of unqualified or radical skepticism but also insists that a plausible compatibilism has significant and substantive implications about the limits of agency and argues that this licenses a metaphysical attitude of (modest) pessimism on this topic. Finally, each paper in this collection is self-standing and can be read in isolation from the others. There is, nevertheless, a core set of themes and issues that unite and link them all together. The collection is arranged and organized in a format that enables the reader to appreciate and recognize these links and the core themes that unite them.
Reviews / Votes
It was both a pleasure and a revelation to revisit these articles together as a group, and to see what a powerful and unified vision of the nature of human freedom and responsibility Russell has put forward over these many years. What comes out most clearly after sustained engagement with Russell's work is his deep humanity and his clear-eyed appreciation of what he takes to be our basic human predicament: namely, that we must see ourselves as free and morally responsible agents, even as we recognize the myriad ways in which luck and fate play an ineliminable role in shaping the moral quality of our lives. * Angela Smith, Ethical Theory & Moral Practice * The Limits of Free Will is a marvelous collection of papers by Paul Russell. It is full of insightful and illuminating critiques, but it also provides readers with an interesting and distinctive position on free will and moral responsibility ... Russell's unique blend of pessimism and optimism is highly compelling and his arguments beautifully crafted, with great sensitivity to our deepest human concerns. The volume is enormously enlightening and will reward its readers many times over. * Meghan Griffith, Ethics * The free will debate is notoriously deadlocked, and Russell's work thoughtfully opens up new areas of philosophical exploration. But more importantly, Russell's philosophical facing-up to our limits as natural beings embodies intellectual humility and humanity in equal measure. As a young scholar, I am especially grateful to have encountered his work. * Robert Wallace, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice * What stands out especially about this collection is the way in which Russell marries matters of fate and luck with our conception of ourselves as agents more broadly beyond the moral realm ... The merits of this collection go well beyond being a valuable compendium of critical assessment of contemporary optimism and skepticism about moral responsibility. Russell harnesses decades of reflection on moral responsibility to construct a distinctive yet measured compatibilist alternative, one that acknowledges the limits of human control while upholding the dignity of our moral life. * Robyn Repko Waller, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews * These are all uniformly excellent papers, beautifully written and offering a unique and important perspective on the topics of free will and moral responsibility. * Michael McKenna, University of Arizona * Paul Russell's subtle, incisive, and deeply human essays have had enormous influence on work in agency and responsibility for going on three decades. One cannot understand the state of play in many of the wide range of topics in the field without grappling with Russell's sharp critical insights and deftly drawn positions. * David Shoemaker, Tulane University * This is the Golden Age of free will philosophy. Paul Russell is a very significant participant in this, and moreover a philosopher with a distinct and rare voice. This volume will be very welcome in this respect, rightly positioning him as a central figure in the contemporary free will debate. * Saul Smilansky, University of Haifa *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
637 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-062760-7 (9780190627607)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Paul Russell is Professor in Philosophy at the University of British Columbia and Lund University. His publications include Freedom and Moral Sentiment: Hume's Way of Naturalizing Responsibility (Oxford University Press, 1995); The Riddle of Hume's Treatise: Skepticism, Naturalism, and Irreligion (Oxford University Press, 2008); and editor of The Philosophy of Free Will (Oxford University, 2013).
Content
Introduction
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
I. Free Will and Causal Relations
1. Sorabji and the Dilemma of Determinism [With an Addendum, 2016]
2. Causation, Compulsion and Compatibilism
II. Responsibility, Skepticism and Moral Sentiment
3. Strawson's Way of Naturalizing Responsibility
4. Responsibility and the Condition of Moral Sense
5. Moral Sense and the Foundations of Responsibility
6. Responsibility, Naturalism and 'the Morality System
III. Practical Reason, Art and Manipulation
7. Practical Reason and Motivational Skepticism
8. Free Will, Art and Morality
9. Selective Hard Compatibilism: Manipulation and Moral Standing
IV. Pessimism and the Limits of Free Will
10. Compatibilist-Fatalism: Finitude, Pessimism and the Limits of Free Will
11. Pessimists, Pollyannas and the New Compatibilism
12. Free Will Pessimism
List of related publications
Index
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
I. Free Will and Causal Relations
1. Sorabji and the Dilemma of Determinism [With an Addendum, 2016]
2. Causation, Compulsion and Compatibilism
II. Responsibility, Skepticism and Moral Sentiment
3. Strawson's Way of Naturalizing Responsibility
4. Responsibility and the Condition of Moral Sense
5. Moral Sense and the Foundations of Responsibility
6. Responsibility, Naturalism and 'the Morality System
III. Practical Reason, Art and Manipulation
7. Practical Reason and Motivational Skepticism
8. Free Will, Art and Morality
9. Selective Hard Compatibilism: Manipulation and Moral Standing
IV. Pessimism and the Limits of Free Will
10. Compatibilist-Fatalism: Finitude, Pessimism and the Limits of Free Will
11. Pessimists, Pollyannas and the New Compatibilism
12. Free Will Pessimism
List of related publications
Index