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    Carmelics

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    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    Kenny — Carmelics
    Thinkers/Kenny
    Kenny

    Kenny

    contemporaryAnalytic Philosophy

    b. 1931

    Sir Anthony Kenny is a British philosopher known for his extensive work in philosophy of mind, action theory, and the history of philosophy. He made major contributions to the analysis of human abilities and free will, and is one of the foremost interpreters of Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, and Wittgenstein.

    WWikipedia

    Notable Achievements

    1

    Developed influential critiques of the modal analysis of ability and compatibilist accounts of free will

    2

    Authored the four-volume 'A New History of Western Philosophy'

    3

    Made major contributions to the interpretation of Aquinas's philosophy of mind and action theory

    4

    Served as Master of Balliol College, Oxford and President of the British Academy

    5

    Advanced the homunculus fallacy argument against Cartesian theories of mind

    Positions & Arguments(7)

    Modality & Possibility

    premise

    If S picks a red card or a black card at w, then either S picks a red card at w or S picks a black card at w

    premise

    According to (MA), an agent S has the ability to perform action A if and only if S performs A at some world satisfying condition C

    premise

    This yields a contradiction, and (MA) is the only substantive premise in the argument

    claim

    The modal analysis of ability (MA) must be rejected

    premise

    If S has the ability to pick a red card or pick a black card, then by (MA) there is a world w satisfying condition C where S picks a red card or a black card

    premise

    By assumption, S does not have the ability to pick a red card and S does not have the ability to pick a black card

    premise

    Applying (MA) in the other direction, if S picks a red card at w then S has the ability to pick a red card, and if S picks a black card at w then S has the ability to pick a black card

    Free Will & Foreknowledge

    premise

    If S picks a red card or a black card at w, then either S picks a red card at w or S picks a black card at w

    premise

    This yields a contradiction, and (MA) is the only substantive premise in the argument

    premise

    By assumption, S does not have the ability to pick a red card and S does not have the ability to pick a black card

    premise

    Applying (MA) in the other direction, if S picks a red card at w then S has the ability to pick a red card, and if S picks a black card at w then S has the ability to pick a black card

    Moral Responsibility

    premise

    According to (MA), an agent S has the ability to perform action A if and only if S performs A at some world satisfying condition C

    claim

    The modal analysis of ability (MA) must be rejected

    premise

    If S has the ability to pick a red card or pick a black card, then by (MA) there is a world w satisfying condition C where S picks a red card or a black card

    At a Glance

    Ideas

    7

    Topics

    3

    Era

    contemporary

    Tradition

    Analytic Philosophy

    Topic Influence

    Modality & Possibility7
    Free Will & Foreknowledge4
    Moral Responsibility3

    Related Thinkers

    David Lewis3 sharedAristotle3 sharedImmanuel Kant3 sharedDavid Hume3 sharedPlato3 sharedJohn Stuart Mill3 sharedIsaac Newton3 shared

    Dive Deeper

    Explore Modality & Possibility→See Free Will & Foreknowledge→
    Peter van Inwagen
    3 shared