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The Philosophy of Free Will (Intensive Course)

8.3229

Dozenten

Prof. Dr. phil. Sven Walter

Beschreibung

Course Description
“Free will” is one of the core topics in philosophy with significant implications for ethics, law, psychology, and cognitive science. Is what we do “up to us” in a sense that allows others to hold us accountable for our behavior or are we just the victims of forces beyond our control, be it our genes, our environments, our brains or the deterministic course of the universe? What do we respond to someone who did something morally wrong, but excuses themselves by saying “I could not have done otherwise!”?
This intensive course provides an introduction to the philosophical concept of free will and the problems regarding moral or legal responsibility or accountability related to it from both systematic and historical perspectives. We will (probably, see below) examine the major philosophical positions on free will, including libertarianism, compatibilism, and hard determinism, and discuss their relevance to human agency, moral responsibility, and scientific understanding of human behavior.
Importantly, the exact nature of the course will entirely be up to the students: We will use The Routledge Companion to Free Will as the main background reading, which contains 60 chapters, ranging from fundamental introductions to the major systematic and historic positions over chapters like “Empirical Perspectives on Consciousness and its Relationship to Free Will and Moral Responsibility” or “Addiction” to chapters like “Free Will and Criminal Law” or “A Feminist Approach to Moral Responsibility”. At the beginning of the course, a poll will select the 13 of the 60 chapters students are most interested in, and we will be discussing these throughout the course.
Learning Objectives
Throughout the course, students will engage with classical and contemporary debates regarding free will and moral responsibility, develop critical thinking skills, gain fundamental knowledge in a key area of theoretical philosophy and apply philosophical insights to cognitive science research. By the end of this course, students will be able to understand and articulate the main philosophical arguments concerning free will, critically evaluate different perspectives on the compatibility of free will and determinism, apply philosophical theories of free will to issues in cognitive science, develop and defend their own positions on free will and moral responsibility.
Prerequisites and Assessments
Students should have successfully completed the Philosophy of Cognitive Science lecture. Preference is given to BSc students who want to complete the Philosophy of Mind and Cognition module, but in principle everyone is welcome, space permitting.
Writing Exercises 15%:
Weekly Reading Responses: 15%
Mid-term Essay: 25%
Student Presentation: 15%
Final Paper: 20%

Note: This syllabus is subject to change based on the progress of the course and the needs of the students. Any changes will be communicated promptly.

Weitere Angaben

Ort: 50/E07
Zeiten: Mi. 10:00 - 12:00 (wöchentlich)
Erster Termin: Mittwoch, 30.10.2024 10:00 - 12:00, Ort: 50/E07
Veranstaltungsart: Seminar (Offizielle Lehrveranstaltungen)