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    Frankfurt's hierarchical account of will shows that agent... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→There is a middle-ground between perfect conformity to reason and being caused to act by natural forces.

    Frankfurt's hierarchical account of will shows that agents can identify with non-rational desires through second-order volitions, constituting genuine self-authorship outside pure reason.

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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.Second-order volitions allow agents to endorse desires authentically, making them genuinely theirs rather than alien impositions.
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    • 2.Rational reflection alone cannot capture how humans actually experience ownership of emotions and non-rational motivations.
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    • 3.Frankfurt's account preserves moral responsibility by grounding it in identification rather than rationality, expanding legitimate agency.
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    Reasons Against

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    Reason against
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    • 1.Second-order volitions can themselves be non-rational or manipulated, creating infinite regress without establishing authentic self.
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    • 2.Identification through higher-order attitudes still presupposes some rational capacity, undermining claims of agency 'outside' reason.
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    • 3.The account cannot distinguish genuine self-authorship from coherent self-deception or internalized oppression at higher levels.
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    Key Terms

    Frankfurt
    Frankfurt most commonly refers to **Frankfurt am Main**, a major city in Germany known as a global financial hub, home to the European Central Bank and many international banks. It's also famous for its historic architecture, museums, and its role as one of Europe's most important transportation and business centers. The name can also refer to **Harry Frankfurt**, an influential American philosopher known for his work on free will, moral responsibility, and human motivation—particularly his concept of "caring about what we care about."
    Hierarchical account of will(as the main theory being explained)
    A way of understanding human choice that imagines desires arranged in levels—your basic desires (like wanting food) sit below your higher-level desires (like wanting to be healthy), and these levels interact to shape what you actually choose.
    Identify with(as used in philosophy of divine nature)
    To relate to, understand, or feel a sense of connection with someone's feelings, experiences, or perspective.
    Non-rational desires(as the type of desire that can be genuinely owned through higher-level choices)
    Wants or impulses that aren't based on logic or reason—like craving junk food or feeling suddenly angry—even though you might logically prefer otherwise.
    Pure Reason
    # Pure Reason Pure reason is the human ability to think and understand the world using only our mind, without relying on information from our senses or personal experience. It's the kind of thinking we use when we do math, follow logical arguments, or figure out what *must* be true based on basic principles alone. The term comes from philosopher Immanuel Kant, who argued that some knowledge comes from pure reason (like mathematics) while other knowledge requires us to actually observe the world around us.
    Self-authorship(as used in theories of freedom and responsibility)
    The idea that you are truly in control of your own choices and decisions, rather than being controlled by outside forces.
    agents(referring to people in this philosophical discussion)
    People, or more broadly, any thinking being capable of having beliefs and making decisions.
    second-order volitions(Augustine's distinction between orders of volition)
    Acts of the liberum voluntatis arbitrium by which one chooses between conflicting first-order volitions
    will(Herbart's practical philosophy; distinguished from mere desire by cognitive determinacy and belief in attainability)
    A species of desire marked by determinate cognition and fixing of its object, combined with conviction that the object is attainable

    Connections

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    Free Will & Foreknowledge1 linkedMoral Responsibility1 linked

    Related

    Frankfurt's account preserves moral responsibility by grounding it in identifica...Identification through higher-order attitudes still presupposes some rational ca...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    Rational reflection alone cannot capture how humans actually experience ownershi...
    Second-order volitions allow agents to endorse desires authentically, making the...
    +3 moreShow less
    Second-order volitions can themselves be non-rational or manipulated, creating i...The account cannot distinguish genuine self-authorship from coherent self-decept...There is a middle-ground between perfect conformity to reason and being caused t...