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    However, libertarian agent causation—defended by Roderick... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→Definition (D3) does not unduly limit the power of an omnipotent agent.

    However, libertarian agent causation—defended by Roderick Chisholm and Timothy O'Connor—entails that some states of affairs are producible only by a specific agent with a specific causal history.

    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Agent causation explains how persons can be ultimate originators of action, not merely conduits for prior physical causes.
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    • 2.Only libertarian agent causation preserves genuine moral responsibility; otherwise agents are just links in causal chains.
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    • 3.Personal identity and historical continuity make it intelligible that only this agent with this history can produce certain acts.
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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.Agent causation posits causal powers without clear physical basis, violating parsimony and making empirical verification impossible.
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    • 2.If an agent's specific history is necessary for an act, that history causally constrains the act—undermining the claimed freedom.
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    • 3.Event causation via agent intentions adequately explains responsibility without invoking metaphysically mysterious agent-causation.
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    Key Terms

    Causal history(what the Inheritance View focuses on)
    The chain of events and causes that led to something happening; in this case, all the things that happened to cause you to have a particular belief.
    Libertarian agent causation(as used in discussions of free will)
    A philosophical theory claiming that people have free will because they can be the ultimate cause of their own actions, rather than everything being determined by prior events or physical laws.
    Producible(as used to describe what can be created by an agent)
    Able to be brought about or caused to exist.
    Roderick Chisholm(as referenced by name in the statement)
    A 20th-century American philosopher known for developing detailed theories about knowledge, justified belief, and how much evidence we need to believe something.
    Timothy O'Connor(as a modern defender of agent causation)
    A contemporary American philosopher who defends libertarian free will, arguing that agents themselves can be the originators of their choices.
    states of affairs(Stumpf's terminology in his contribution to logic)
    The specific content of judgment (belief)

    Connections

    1 topic

    Divine Attributes1 linked

    Related

    Agent causation explains how persons can be ultimate originators of action, not ...Agent causation posits causal powers without clear physical basis, violating par...Definition (D3) does not unduly limit the power of an omnipotent agent.Event causation via agent intentions adequately explains responsibility without ...

    Details

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    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
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    +3 moreShow less
    If an agent's specific history is necessary for an act, that history causally co...Only libertarian agent causation preserves genuine moral responsibility; otherwi...Personal identity and historical continuity make it intelligible that only this ...