Do we have free will? Are we morally responsible for our behavior? Is determinism compatible with freedom and moral responsibility? What do philosophers say?
The theme of this volume covers dimensions of the problem of free will that concern ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of action, and law. Classical and contemporary philosophers, theories and issues, come together to provide answers to one of the greatest puzzles in the history of philosophy: that of human freedom. All texts are connected, more or less, to the technical terms used in the contemporary philosophical discussion on the so-called "problem of free will."
With historical and systematic criteria, the texts are divided into two groups, and correspondingly the volume into two sections. The first group consists of texts that belong to the history of philosophy, as they are dedicated to the theory of freedom of important philosophers; two of them concern classical philosophers (Plato, Hume), and two concern contemporary philosophers, one a philosopher of law (Hart) and one of the philosophy of mind (Dennett). The second group consists of texts that have a systematic character, as they deal with philosophical issues that are essentially connected to the problem of free will; issues that concern ethical and metaethical aspects of the problem of free will, as well as the reciprocal relationships between free will, action, and moral responsibility.
This multifaceted presentation and treatment of the problem of free will opens up the possibility for further dialogue in the Greek philosophical scene.