Description
Book SynopsisMele''s ultimate purpose in this book is to help readers think more clearly about free will. He identifies and makes vivid the most important conceptual obstacles to justified belief in the existence of free will and meets them head on. Mele clarifies the central issue in the philosophical debate about free will and moral responsibility, criticizes various influential contemporary theories about free will, and develops two overlapping conceptions of free will - one for readers who are convinced that free will is incompatible with determinism (incompatibilists), and the other for readers who are convinced of the opposite (compatibilists). Mele''s theory offers an original perspective on an important problem and will garner the attention of anyone interested in the debate on free will.
Trade ReviewThe book is well-written and meticulously argued, and positions are carefully defined and presented. Mele's writing is a model of analytical exposition. And as always, Mele is the master of the philosophical thought experiment, and manages to make convincing positions where others have feared to tread (or indeed would have never thought it were possible to tread). * Saul Smilansky, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *
Mele's Free Will and Luck is well written and tightly argued. It will be a very important contribution to the literature on free will. * Randolph Clarke, Department of Philosophy, University of Georgia *
This is a splendid book. It features several new and significant contributions to the debate, and it develops existing arguments in creative and surprising ways. Overall, it constitutes a genuine advance in our understanding of free will and moral responsibility. It is sure to be widely read and discussed. * Derk Pereboom, Department of Philosophy, University of Vermont *
Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. Free Will and Neuroscience ; 3. Libertarianism, Luck, and Control ; 4. Frankfurt-style Cases, Luck, and Soft Libertarianism ; 5. A Daring Soft Libertarian Response to Present Luck ; 6. Compatibilism: Objections and Replies ; 7. My Compatibilist Proposal: Objections and Replies ; 8. Conclusion ; References ; Index
