Postgraduate Course: Free Will and Moral Responsibility MSc (PHIL11067)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course provides an introduction to the problems of free will and moral responsibility - some of the deepest and hardest (and most discussed) problems in all of philosophy. Broadly speaking, the problems arise through reflection on what William James called 'the dilemma of determinism: if determinism is true, then it can seem that nothing we do is genuinely 'up to us', and accordingly that no one is fairly blamed or praised. On the other hand, how does indeterminism help with free will and moral responsibility? Wouldn't indeterminism simply imply that everything we do is a matter of chance or luck? In short, the thought that we are free, responsible agents is arguably a fundamental aspect of our conception of ourselves and our place in the universe. But is this conception indeed justified? We will investigate the main contemporary theories regarding the relationships between free will, moral responsibility, and determinism. In this course, we will approach these problems through two key texts: Four Views on Free Will (edited by Manuel Vargas), and Susan Wolf's book, Freedom Within Reason.
Shared with UG course Free Will & Moral Responsibility PHIL10090.
For courses co-taught with undergraduate students and with no remaining undergraduate spaces left, a maximum of 8 MSc students can join the course. Priority will be given to MSc students who wish to take the course for credit on a first come first served basis after matriculation. |
| Course description |
This course will cover the main contemporary positions concerning debates about free will and moral responsibility, especially concerning whether these notions are or are not compatible with the truth of determinism. We will read two main texts: Four Views on Free Will (ed. Vargas), and Susan Wolf's Freedom Within Reason.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 8 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One 2,500 word essay
Essay deadline: Thursday 17th December 2015 by 12 noon.
Return deadline: Thursday 21st January 2016 |
| Feedback |
Students have the opportunity to submit a formative essay by week 6 deadline on Turnitin via Learn. The essay cannot be draft of summative essay but it can be on the same topic.
Formative essay deadline: Thursday 29th October 2015 by 12 noon
Return deadline: Friday 20th November 2015 |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
| develop further the philosophical skills, and to extend as well as deepen the philosophical knowledge acquired in previous philosophy courses.
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Reading List
Core reading
Week 1:
Four Views on Free Will, Chapter 1 (Robert Kane, 'Libertarianism') and 'A Brief Introduction to Some Terms and Concepts'
Week 2:
Four Views on Free Will, Chapter 2 (John Martin Fischer, 'Compatibilism')
Week 3:
Four Views on Free Will, Chapter 3 (Derk Pereboom, 'Hard Incompatibilism')
Week 4:
Wolf, Freedom Within Reason, Chapter 1.
Week 5:
Wolf, Freedom Within Reason, Chapter 2.
Week 6:
Wolf, Freedom Within Reason, Chapter 3.
Week 7:
Wolf, Freedom Within Reason, Chapter 4.
Week 8:
Wolf, Freedom Within Reason, Chapter 5.
Week 9:
Wolf, Freedom Within Reason, Chapter 6
Week 10:
G.A. Cohen, 'Casting the First Stone: Who Can, and Who Can¿t, Condemn the Terrorists?'
Background reading is available on Learn. |
Additional Information
| Course URL |
Please see Learn page |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Taught by Dr Patrick Todd |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Patrick Todd
Tel: (0131 6)51 5179
Email: ptodd2@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lynsey Buchanan
Tel: (0131 6)51 5002
Email: Lynsey.Buchanan@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2015 The University of Edinburgh - 18 January 2016 4:42 am
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