Reviews for Free Will and Luck

The average rating for Free Will and Luck based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-09-08 00:00:00 Donald Allegrini While I am familiar with the free will literature, I am not engrossed in it. I was somewhat concerned that that would hinder me in my understanding of this book. Fortunately, Mele presents the leading theories in the free will debate very clearly, so I had no trouble following his arguments. His main goal is to clear up popular compatibilist and libertarian views of free will and moral responsibility so that they can deal with a few problems, one of which is present luck. As I am primarily interested in luck and moral responsibility, I would have preferred more of the book to be dedicated to luck. Still, Mele makes all of the discussion interesting, despite much of it not being about luck. Because of this, it was certainly worth reading. It improved my understanding of the free will literature - and the intuitions behind certain positions - considerably. Overall, a well-written and interesting examination, critique, and clarification of some of the leading theories of free will and moral responsibility.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-07-26 00:00:00 Shay Walsh Mele covers some interesting topics, particularly the issue of luck with regard to agent-causal theories. If an agent has the ability to do otherwise, even given an identical past and laws of nature, it seems that the decision the agent makes must be arbitrary. There is no possible differentiating factor that can account for the differences. Mele also devotes a chapter to the Libet experiments. These show a readiness potential in the individual's unconscious prior to the actual performance of the action. Neuroscientists and philosophers have concluded from this that free will is an illusion--our decisions are pre-set for us. Another important distinction is that of "robust" alternatives. Compatibilists can weave in alternatives, but they are not robust, because determinism means they will never be realized.