Summary of Thomas Pink's Free Will

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The free will problem is the question of whether we have control over how we act, and what this control involves. We typically do not use these words freedom and will when talking about our control over our actions, but for the last 2,000 years or more, Western philosophers have used these words to discuss this problem.

#2 The term freedom has two different meanings: political liberty and action control. While enjoying political liberty is one thing, having control over how you act is another. Action control is not related to any relation to the state, while political liberty is.

#3 The term will has been used by philosophers in a variety of ways. It has been used to describe a vital psychological capacity that all normal adult humans possess: the ability to make decisions. Freedom of action may even depend on a freedom of decision-making. But since the 17th century, philosophers have argued that there is no such thing as a freedom of decision-making.

#4 Our freedom is a freedom of action, and it is not directly up to us what we want or feel. We can, however, influence what we want or feel through our actions. Our control over our actions extends to give us some control over the actions’ consequences.

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Rafbók: 2 juni 2022