What Free Will, Determinism and Fatalism

Philosopher David Hume

Warped thoughts Compatabilism: Our world is deterministic, BUT we have free will. You are morally responsible for what you do, provided the desire you act on is one that you endorse, it is a considered desire. Our world is NOT deterministic; we have free will because we are capable of making spontaneous choices choices that are literally uncaused. Moral Nihilism: there is NO such thing as moral responsibility regardless of whether the world is deterministic or not, since either way you have no control over prior causes. Incompatabilism: moral responsibility cannot coexist with either. Hedonism: The only thing that is absolutely good is pleasure and the only thing that is absolutely bad is pain or suffering. Oyster Argument, Lives Barely Worth Living, Argument from Beauty Experience Machine (Robert Nozick)

Jean-Paul Sarte & Richard Taylor

Galen Strawson, Nietzsche

Hedonism

Advocators: Roger Crisp, Jeremy Bentham Anti-Hedonists: Robert Nozick

Duties to Strangers -

Peter Singer

If we can prevent something very bad from happening without sacrificing anything morally significant, then we ought (we have a duty) to do so. PETER SINGER argues that our relationship to the drowning child does not differ in any morally relevant way to our failure to save people dying in Africa. Both actions are equally wrong; there is no morally relevant difference. (Equivalence Thesis, which says that killing and letting die are equally bad)

Friedman

FRIEDMAN argues that it depends on how much it would cost to save the child + how much the childs life is worth. A human life is not infinitely valuable, we implicitly put a price on lives, best estimated by lifetime income.

Puppies & Pigs (Factory-farming)

Norcross Detractors: Loren Lomasky

Its wrong to consume factory farmed animals. Value hedonism is a correct theory, as far as it applies to farm animals. The life of a typical factory-farmed animal contains more pleasure than pain Factory farmed animals exist only because people consume factory-farmed meat, eggs, etc. Theres nothing wrong with engaging in behavior that promotes the creation of lives worth living.

Why Does God Allow Suffering? (Argument from Evil)

George Carlin (Atheist: You believe that God does NOT exist)

Does the existence of evils compel us towards believing there is NO good? The argument from evil states that the existence of all these evils torture, rape, murder, famine and despair, proves that God does NOT exist.

Pascals Wager

Pascal

Pascal tries to convince you of believing in God even without arguing for the existence of God. Expected Utility Reasoning: Potential infinite gain/ loss against finite loss/ gain.

George Carlin

Why would God reward you for believing in Him out of practical considerations? What kind of God would refuse to reward someone just because she didnt believe in Him?

Can Computers Think? [COGNITION]

John Searle

Argues AGAINST the computational theory of cognition; i.e. saying thinking doesnt just involve computation, it isnt about running the correct programs. Chinese Room argument; Simulation argument - computers just simulate thought, their seeming understanding isnt real understanding Robot Objection: Searle isnt currently computationally equivalent to Chinese speakers; he ought to be embedded within a robot capable of sensing its environment and updating information just like other Chinese speakers. Systems Objection: Searle himself is not computationally equivalent to any ordinary Chinese speaker, but the system as a whole has that computational equivalence.

Physicalism & Dualism [CONSCIOUSNESS]

Frank Jackson

Dualist: Conscious experience is NOT a purely physical phenomenon. Sensations are caused by, but not the same as, chemical reactions in your brain. Knowledge Argument (1) You could know everything about the physical nature of some creature, and yet not know everything about that creatures conscious experience. (2) If physicalism were true, this would be impossible. (3) Therefore physicalism is false.

Physicalism: A creatures conscious experiences are just part of the creatures physical nature. Ability Objection: Mary did learn something new when she saw the tomato - BUT only in the sense that she acquires a new ABILITY, not new information. Knowing what its like objection: Saying Mary doesnt know what it is like to see red is simply saying Mary hasnt seen red before which is true and completely compatible with physicalism. The Extended Mind Clark & Chalmers 1. If a part of the world performs a function which we would have no hesitation in recognizing as part of the cognitive process, were it performed by something in the head, then that part of the world is part of the mind. 2. Ottos notebook performs a function which, were it performed in Ottos head, we would have no hesitation in recognizing as part of Ottos mind (namely, Ottos long-term memory). 3. Therefore, Ottos notebook is part of Ottos mind.

Principle of Sufficient Reason

Leibniz

The PSR states that every contingent (non-necessary) fact has some explanation. In other words: if it is true that P, but did not have to be true that P, then there is some reason why it is true that P.

David Hume argues against the cosmological argument The Character of Consciousness Chalmers

Hume says: if I explain each part of a whole, I explain the whole.