Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and Reformed Theology - Analytic ...
Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and Reformed Theology - Analytic ...
Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and Reformed Theology - Analytic ...
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40<br />
Paul L. Manata © 2011<br />
How do semi-‐compatibilists show that ability to do otherwise is not required for<br />
moral responsibility? They have a few ways, one of which is to appeal to what is<br />
known as Frankfurt-‐style counterexamples, named after philosopher Harry<br />
Frankfurt, to show this. While these counterexamples have generated a<br />
tremendous amount of back-‐<strong>and</strong>-‐forth in the literature, <strong>and</strong> the debate can get<br />
quite sophisticated, in keeping with our broad overview approach I will offer a<br />
run of the mill example:<br />
Suppose Jones wants to kill the president. Black, an evil neurosurgeon who<br />
dislikes the president, finds out Jones’s plans. Black is happy about this<br />
turn of events but doesn’t want to leave matters to indeterminist chance.<br />
So he drugs Jones <strong>and</strong> renders him unconscious. While Jones is<br />
unconscious, Black implants a neural monitoring device in Jones’s head<br />
that enables Black to tell what Jones is going to do before he does it. The<br />
device is equipped with an “overrider button” that allows the controller to<br />
override the subject’s control <strong>and</strong> switches control to something that looks<br />
like a joy stick, allowing the controller to manipulate the subject to do<br />
what he wants him to do. Thus, reasons Black, “If Jones opts to back out at<br />
the last moment, I will press the overrider button <strong>and</strong> ensure that Jones<br />
goes through with the plan [insert evil laugh <strong>and</strong> rubbing together of<br />
h<strong>and</strong>s].” When the day arrives, Jones heads down to the designated area<br />
with rifle in h<strong>and</strong>. Jones sets up <strong>and</strong> as the president approaches he stays<br />
resolved <strong>and</strong> carries out the assassination. Black, therefore, never needed<br />
to press the overrider button. Jones killed the president of his own free<br />
will, <strong>and</strong> certainly appears to be morally responsible for his actions.<br />
However, <strong>and</strong> here’s the kicker, Jones couldn’t have done otherwise than<br />
he did. For, if he had given any indication that he might do otherwise,<br />
Black would have pressed the overrider button. So, either Jones freely