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Gary Watson
- How does Watson’s account of free agency connect to moral responsibility? If we accept his view, can an agent be morally responsible for an action they didn’t freely performed? Is this a problem? Write an essay exploring these issues.
- Some philosophers have worried that Watson’s account of free agency is too cognitively demanding. (That is, certain agents that have limited evaluative capacities – children, people with Alzheimer’s disease – have trouble satisfying it.) Do you agree with this worry? Why or why not? What is an alternative account that might be less demanding but still accomplish what Watson wants?
- What is Harry Frankfurt’s view, and how does Watson criticize it? Do you agree with Watson? Why or why not?
- Do you think the conception of “freedom” Watson is working with is a good one? Why or why not? Be sure to consider other potential conceptions of freedom.