Author: Rachel Bourbaki Category: Ethics, Metaphysics Word Count: 1000 Intuitively, a person is morally responsible for what she has done only if she could have done otherwise. This is the Principle of Alternate Possibilities (PAP): for any person and any action, that person is morally responsible for performing or failing to perform that action only … Continue reading Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility
Author: Chelsea Haramia Category: Ethics, Metaphysics Word Count: 1000 You probably shouldn’t steal. Common sense tells us that stealing is wrong. But sometimes stealing seems less wrong, or not wrong at all, after we discover the cause of the stealing behavior. For example, if the fact that your family is starving causes you to steal … Continue reading Free Will and Moral Responsibility
Author: Jonah Nagashima Category: Metaphysics Word Count: 997 An auctioneer opens the bidding on a painting. A moment later, your hand raises. Now, consider three backstories: You had no intention to bid, but a spasm caused your hand to raise. You don’t value the painting, but someone put a gun to your head, telling you … Continue reading Free Will and Free Choice
1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology 