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Compatibilism vs. Incompatibilism: Unraveling the Debate

Description: Compatibilism vs. Incompatibilism: Unraveling the Debate
Number of Questions: 14
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Tags: philosophy philosophy of mind compatibilism incompatibilism free will determinism
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What is the central question at the heart of the debate between compatibilism and incompatibilism?

  1. Whether free will and determinism can coexist.

  2. Whether moral responsibility can be assigned in a deterministic universe.

  3. Whether human actions are truly caused by prior events.

  4. Whether the concept of free will is meaningful in a physical world.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Compatibilism and incompatibilism are two opposing viewpoints on the relationship between free will and determinism. Compatibilists argue that free will and determinism are not necessarily incompatible, while incompatibilists argue that they are.

According to compatibilists, what is the key factor in determining whether an action is free?

  1. The agent's ability to choose between different courses of action.

  2. The agent's awareness of the consequences of their actions.

  3. The agent's ability to act in accordance with their desires.

  4. The agent's ability to resist external pressures.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Compatibilists argue that free will is compatible with determinism as long as the agent has the ability to choose between different courses of action. This ability is often referred to as 'alternative possibilities'.

Incompatibilists argue that free will and determinism are incompatible primarily because:

  1. Determinism implies that all events, including human actions, are predetermined.

  2. Free will requires the ability to make choices that are not causally determined.

  3. Determinism eliminates the concept of moral responsibility.

  4. Free will is an illusion created by our conscious experience.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Incompatibilists argue that free will requires the ability to make choices that are not causally determined. They contend that if our actions are predetermined by prior events, then we cannot be truly free.

Which of the following is a common argument used by incompatibilists to support their position?

  1. The 'Buridan's Ass' argument, which illustrates the impossibility of free choice in a deterministic universe.

  2. The 'Principle of Alternate Possibilities', which states that free will requires the ability to choose otherwise in the same circumstances.

  3. The 'Compatibilist Dilemma', which argues that compatibilism leads to a contradiction between free will and moral responsibility.

  4. The 'Argument from Ignorance', which claims that we cannot know whether determinism is true, so we cannot conclude that free will is incompatible with it.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The 'Buridan's Ass' argument is a classic example of an incompatibilist argument. It posits a scenario where a donkey, placed equidistant between two equally desirable bales of hay, would starve to death because it cannot choose between them. This argument is used to illustrate the impossibility of free choice in a deterministic universe, where every event is causally determined.

Compatibilists often respond to the 'Buridan's Ass' argument by claiming that:

  1. The donkey's inability to choose is due to a lack of relevant desires, not the absence of free will.

  2. The donkey's situation is not representative of real-world decision-making, where choices are typically not equally desirable.

  3. The donkey's behavior is still free, even if it is causally determined, because it is the result of its own desires and preferences.

  4. The donkey's predicament is a thought experiment that does not have any implications for the real world.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Compatibilists argue that the donkey's inability to choose in the 'Buridan's Ass' argument is not due to the absence of free will, but rather due to the lack of relevant desires. They contend that if the donkey had a stronger preference for one bale of hay over the other, it would be able to choose freely.

Incompatibilists often argue that moral responsibility requires:

  1. The ability to make choices that are not causally determined.

  2. The ability to foresee the consequences of our actions.

  3. The ability to act in accordance with our moral values.

  4. The ability to resist external pressures.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Incompatibilists argue that moral responsibility requires the ability to make choices that are not causally determined. They contend that if our actions are predetermined, then we cannot be held morally responsible for them.

Compatibilists respond to the incompatibilist argument about moral responsibility by claiming that:

  1. Moral responsibility does not require free will in the sense of indeterminism.

  2. Moral responsibility can be assigned even in a deterministic universe, as long as agents have the ability to choose between different courses of action.

  3. Moral responsibility is a social construct that is not dependent on the existence of free will.

  4. Moral responsibility is an illusion that is created by our conscious experience.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Compatibilists argue that moral responsibility can be assigned even in a deterministic universe, as long as agents have the ability to choose between different courses of action. They contend that the ability to choose freely is sufficient for moral responsibility, even if those choices are causally determined.

Which of the following is a common argument used by compatibilists to support their position?

  1. The 'Principle of Alternate Possibilities', which states that free will requires the ability to choose otherwise in the same circumstances.

  2. The 'Compatibilist Dilemma', which argues that incompatibilism leads to a contradiction between free will and moral responsibility.

  3. The 'Argument from Ignorance', which claims that we cannot know whether determinism is true, so we cannot conclude that free will is incompatible with it.

  4. The 'Compatibilist Intuition', which suggests that we have an intuitive sense of free will, even if it cannot be proven rationally.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Compatibilists often appeal to the 'Compatibilist Intuition' as evidence in favor of their position. They argue that we have an intuitive sense of free will, even if we cannot prove its existence rationally. This intuition, they contend, is a powerful argument against the incompatibilist claim that free will is incompatible with determinism.

One of the main challenges for compatibilists is to explain how:

  1. Free will can exist in a deterministic universe.

  2. Moral responsibility can be assigned in a deterministic universe.

  3. Human actions can be both causally determined and freely chosen.

  4. The concept of free will is meaningful in a physical world.


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

One of the main challenges for compatibilists is to explain how human actions can be both causally determined and freely chosen. Compatibilists need to show that determinism does not necessarily negate the possibility of free will.

Incompatibilists often argue that the concept of free will is:

  1. Meaningless in a deterministic universe.

  2. An illusion created by our conscious experience.

  3. A social construct that is not based on reality.

  4. A fundamental aspect of human existence that cannot be denied.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Incompatibilists often argue that the concept of free will is meaningless in a deterministic universe. They contend that if our actions are predetermined, then we cannot be truly free.

Compatibilists often respond to the incompatibilist argument about the meaninglessness of free will by claiming that:

  1. Free will is still meaningful even if it is causally determined.

  2. The concept of free will is not dependent on the existence of indeterminism.

  3. Free will is a social construct that is not based on reality.

  4. Free will is an illusion created by our conscious experience.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Compatibilists often respond to the incompatibilist argument about the meaninglessness of free will by claiming that free will is still meaningful even if it is causally determined. They contend that free will is about the ability to choose between different courses of action, regardless of whether those choices are predetermined.

The debate between compatibilism and incompatibilism has implications for:

  1. Our understanding of human agency and moral responsibility.

  2. The nature of consciousness and the self.

  3. The relationship between mind and body.

  4. All of the above.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

The debate between compatibilism and incompatibilism has implications for our understanding of human agency and moral responsibility, the nature of consciousness and the self, and the relationship between mind and body.

Which of the following philosophers is most closely associated with compatibilism?

  1. David Hume

  2. Immanuel Kant

  3. John Stuart Mill

  4. René Descartes


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

John Stuart Mill is one of the most prominent philosophers associated with compatibilism. He argued that free will is compatible with determinism, as long as the agent has the ability to choose between different courses of action.

Which of the following philosophers is most closely associated with incompatibilism?

  1. David Hume

  2. Immanuel Kant

  3. John Stuart Mill

  4. René Descartes


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Immanuel Kant is one of the most prominent philosophers associated with incompatibilism. He argued that free will and determinism are incompatible, and that moral responsibility requires the ability to make choices that are not causally determined.

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