VI—Panpsychism and Free Will: A Case Study in Liberal Naturalism

Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 120 (2):123-144 (2020)
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Abstract

There has been a resurgence of interest in panpsychism in contemporary philosophy of mind. According to its supporters, panpsychism offers an attractive solution to the mind–body problem, avoiding the deep difficulties associated with the more conventional options of dualism and materialism. There has been little focus, however, on whether panpsychism can help with philosophical problems pertaining to free will. In this paper I will argue (a) that it is coherent and consistent with observation to postulate a kind of libertarian agent causation at the micro-level, and (b) that if one if believes in libertarian agent causation at the macro-level, there are significant advantages in also postulating its existence at the micro-level.

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Philip Goff
Durham University

References found in this work

The Principles of Psychology.William James - 1890 - London, England: Dover Publications.
A World of States of Affairs.D. M. Armstrong - 1996 - New York: Cambridge University Press.
Actions, Reasons, and Causes.Donald Davidson - 1963 - Journal of Philosophy 60 (23):685.
Epiphenomenal qualia.Frank Jackson - 1982 - Philosophical Quarterly 32 (April):127-136.

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