Description
Book SynopsisA comprehensive interpretation of John Locke's solution to one of philosophy's enduring problems: free will and the nature of human agency. It shows us that Locke conceived free agency not just as the freedom to express oneself, but as including also the freedom to transcend oneself and act in accordance with "the good."
Trade Review"Liberty Worth the Name uses Locke's texts as a means of exploring with great acuity the various ways in which human selfhood and agency depend upon each other."--James A. Harris, Times Literary Supplement "Liberty Worth the Name is an excellent book which displays great subtlety and sophistication in its analyses of the issues. Yaffe is a master of the contemporary literature in the philosophy of action; his book is informed throughout by a deep knowledge of the current positions and debates... [His] study will surely stimulate a revival of interest in a largely neglected and undervalued area of Locke's thought."--Nicholas Jolley, Philosophy in Review
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments xi Introduction 3 Chapter 1: A Second Perfection 12 Freedom of Action 13 Freedom of Will: The Negative Views 21 Free Wills 22 Free Violitions 27 The Elusive Something and Freedom of Will: The Positive Views 31 The First Edition 32 The Second and Later Editions 42 Some Consequences of the Second Edition Account 61 Freedom of Will and The Natural Law Theory 65 Conclusion 71 Chapter 2: Violition and Voluntary Action 75 Act~ion and Active Powers 78 Passion and Proper Action 79 Active and Passive Power 82 Two Degrees of Attributability 85 What are Volitions; 88 A Quick Look Back 98 Voluntary Action 99 The Necessity of Causation by Volition for Voluntarines 100 The (Non)Sufficency of Causation by Volition for Voluntarines 104 An Alternative Interpretation 107 The Power to Act Voluntarily 112 The Special Atyributability of Vnlnntrary Action 112 Conclusion 117 Chapter 3: Free Agency and Personal Identity 118 Choice and Personal Identity 119 Contemplation of (Temporally) Absent Pleasure and Pain 134 Conclusion 139 Notes 141 Bibliography 161 General Index 169 Index Locorum 175
