Agent Causation and Dualism Essay - 1633 Words

Agent Causation Dualism The discussion of free will and its compatibility with determinism comes down to one’s conception of actions. Most philosophers and physicists would agree that events have specific causes, especially events in nature. The question becomes more controversial when philosophers discuss the interaction between human beings, or agents, and the world. If one holds the belief that all actions and events are caused by prior events, it would seem as though he would be accepting determinism. For if an event has a particular cause, the event which follows must be predetermined, even if this cause relates to a decision by a human being. Agent causation becomes important for many philosophers who, like me, refuse to†¦show more content†¦As a firm believer in agent causation and a non-dualist, I’m inclined to reject Pereboom’s implication that dualism is a necessity for agent-caused events. I have reconstructed his argument as follows: 1. The basic physical laws are either deterministic or have objective counterfactual probabilities. 2. Actions that are agent-caused are either consistent with Fundamental Physical Theory or inconsistent with Fundamental Physical Theory. 3. Agent-caused actions can’t be inconsistent with basic physical laws. 4. Agent-caused actions are consistent with either a. Deterministic physical laws; or b. Indeterministic physical laws with objective counterfactual probabilities. [From 1, 3] 5. If (a) is true then there must be â€Å"cosmic coincidences.† 6. If (b) is true then there must be â€Å"cosmic coincidences.† 7. There are no cosmic coincidences. 8. There are no agent-caused actions. [From 4-7] Pereboom’s argument is tricky, but there are two places where I believe it can be dismantled, allowing agent causation to retain plausibility without accepting dualism. We must grant premise one on the basis of empirical evidence. This premise may or may not be true, but it can only be determined as a result of scientific study and for the purposes of our argument, it must be taken for granted. Premise two is an obvious logical truth and so its validity isShow MoreRelatedThe Dualists Essay1846 Words   |  8 Pagesthat? However, one theory that has been of interest to many recent scientists and philosophers alike is one that has been around since its conception by a famous mathematician and philosopher named Rene Descartes. This theory is called substance dualism; and accordingly, this theory tries to solve the mystery of how these two complex disparate entities can intermingle to create an interaction that has an effect on the material world. 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