tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780806945960886534.post7894295766826593703..comments2024-03-28T05:47:54.177+00:00Comments on Philosophical Disquisitions: Fischer, Frankfurt and Flickers of Freedom (Part 2)John Danaherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761686258507859309noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780806945960886534.post-20086728861030155562011-01-27T12:16:32.467+00:002011-01-27T12:16:32.467+00:00Thanks for this, John. Now that I understand Fishe...Thanks for this, John. Now that I understand Fisher's goal better, I'm actually pretty sympathetic to it, even if I don't understand how he gets there. I generally don't like alternative-worlds arguments, so I like the idea of an analysis that only depends on the actual sequence, rather than on alternative possibilities.<br /><br />However, I don't think Fischer's responses work.<br /><br />1) I don't see what, in the counterfactual knowledge analogy, is supposed to be analogous to the flicker of freedom. <br /><br />2) Fischer seems to miss the whole point of the objection to Frankfurt examples. The point (as I see it) is not that the coerced sequence of events is relevant for moral responsibility, it is precisely the opposite: that the coerced sequence is <i>irrelevant</i>, and it is only the sequence of events up until the coercive device kicks in that is relevant.<br /><br />Look at it this way: if there is NO possibility that Jones will reach the state of mind that triggers Black's device, then there is no point to the whole set-up: the device is useless. So the whole set-up is only relevant if there IS an alternative possibility - namely, the possibility that Jones reaches that mental state. So the Frankfurt examples REQUIRE alternative possibilities.<br /><br />This seems so blindingly obvious to me that I can't believe professional philosophers still talk about Frankfurt examples.<br /><br />Bottom line: although I am not convinced that PAP is the right approach for assessing moral responsibility, I am even less convinced that Frankfurt examples have anything to say about the matter.Robert Oerterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708981993708509662noreply@blogger.com