Course Description

In deciding whether someone is responsible for something they’ve done, we routinely consider whether the person intended to do it. Some philosophers maintain that, so long as my intention to do something is suitably my own, then I am responsible for the corresponding action. Other philosophers maintain that we are never truly responsible for our actions, since we don’t have free will—roughly, we can’t freely decide what to do. In this course, we examine (1) the problem of free will, and (2) contemporary responses to that problem, including accounts of moral responsibility. We will also discuss whether evidence from neuroscience casts doubt on free will, and the significance of conscious reflection in moral responsibility.