Overdetermined Man
from The 21st Century Monads Hosted by The 21st Century Monads
But still I'll do the best, if I can. Lyrics written by Kris McDaniel and Ben Bradley Kris McDaniel: vocals, edrums, electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboards Ben Bradley: piano, vocals Cover art by Carrie Jenkins Do you act freely only when there are alternative courses of action you could have done instead? Suppose that right now Fred wants to murder Tom. Fred has the means to do so, has crafted a fool-proof plan, and has positioned himself at the optimal angle to assassinate. He pulls the trigger and Tom is murdered. But there is an evil demon who has been passively monitoring Fred’s thoughts while lurking in the background. If Fred had hesitated and decided not to kill Tom, the demon would have intervened and used demonic magic to strengthen Fred’s resolve to murder. No matter what, Fred is going to kill Tom. But as a matter of fact, the demon never intervened. Did Fred freely kill Tom? Perhaps what makes an action free is not that one could have done otherwise, but rather that one is wholehearted in one what they do. Sometimes we desire something but wish that we didn’t. When I see a plate of cookies, I desire to eat them all, but this desire torments me. I’d rather not have it. You wholeheartedly desire something when you not only want the thing, but when you also want that you have the want for it. These are topics that the philosopher Harry Frankfurt explores in some classic papers. Copyright 2022 © The 21st Century Monads
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