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Title: Responsibility and Control : A Theory of Moral Responsibility by John Martin Fischer, Mark Ravizza ISBN: 0-521-77579-5 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 13 October, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (1 review)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Nice Philosophical Explanation
Comment: Fischer and Ravizza's (F&R) book, Responsibility and Control, provides the most recent defense of compatibilism (according to the timing of this review). They are not presenting any "knock-down arguments" for their view. Rather, they are offering philosophical explanation (in Nozick's sense) as to how to provide a working theory of moral responsibility with the truth of causal determinism. They do not contend the truth or falsity of causal determinism; they simply believe that whatever is the truth of the matter, it is irrelevant given their account of moral responsibility.
F&R provide a well defended account of what they call "guidance control." It is strongly built off of the earlier work of Harry Frankfurt's article, "Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility." Using this, they attempt to build an account that solves clear cases about actions, consequences, and omissions in a clear symmetical way. In doing so, they believe the indirect and direct challenges to the compatibility thesis should be rejected.
After doing so, they attempt to look at "mesh theories" (e.g. Frankfurt and Watson) which look at the time-splice properties of an agent, and F&R argue for a contrasting (geniune) historical approach. In doing so, they use Galen Strawson's work to help answer particular problems. Following in their last chapter, they summarize all of their main points again, and look at Robert Adam's argument (in the appendix) concerning emotions and moral responsibility.
The extremely nice features of this book are that they argue for their position very clearly. One should have little trouble following their arguments, examples, and what they intend on doing. They tell you what they plan on doing, how they will do it, and then go right into it. Following, they summarize it again to make everything from that chapter and the preceeding chapters come together.
Another nice feature of this book is that it is exceptionally well argued. Though I found some disagreements along the way, naturally expected of anyone, I thought they provided a robust account that at least does what they intended: the provide an account of freedom that gives us a working theory which can be reworked, but meets the incompatibilist challenges, though honestly not enough perhaps to move everyone toward compatibilism (i.e. this is a philosophical explanation, not knock-down argument).
Because of these nice features and the good content, I highly recommend this book.
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Title: The Illusion of Conscious Will by Daniel M. Wegner ISBN: 0262731622 Publisher: MIT Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Perspectives on Moral Responsibility by John Martin Fischer, Mark Ravizza ISBN: 0801481597 Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr Pub. Date: July, 1999 List Price(USD): $22.50 |
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Title: Freedom Evolves by Daniel C. Dennett ISBN: 0670031860 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: 10 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Importance of What We Care About : Philosophical Essays by Harry G. Frankfurt ISBN: 0521336112 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 27 May, 1988 List Price(USD): $33.00 |
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Title: Autonomous Agents: From Self-Control to Autonomy by Alfred R. Mele ISBN: 0195150430 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: October, 2001 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
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