Institut für Philosophie


Navigation und Suche der Universität Osnabrück


Hauptinhalt

Topinformationen

Begleitseminar zum Studienprojekt: Experimental Philosophy: Folk Intuitions about Free Will and Determinism and why they Matter (Part II)

Dozenten

Beschreibung

Introduction to Philosophy of Mind; Basics in the Free Will Debate

The traditional philosophical debate about "free will" typically takes for granted certain views about what it is "natural" to believe and what one comes to believe only after indulging in too much philosophy. For instance, it is often claimed that incompatibilism (i.e., the view that free will and determinism are incompatible) is the "natural" view of the folk and that it requires quite some philosophical work to convince people of compatibilism (i.e., the view that free will and determinism are compatible). Likewise, it has been argued that a belief in determinism is "natural" and indeterminism is an "unnatural" view. And it is usually taken for granted that people believe they have free will, while the denial of free will is "unnatural". And finally, some have argued that not believing in free will has negative consequences, because it makes one more likely to behave immorally.
All these are clearly important questions. And they cannot be resolved from the philosophical armchair only; they require empirical investigation and careful experimental design. This is what has been done during the past decade or so under the heading of "experimental philosophy". There are only a few studies so far, with mixed results. The study project aims to improve the existing studies and develop new ones, in particular with an eye on cross-cultural questions.
The study project will at least run for three consecutive semesters, starting in the summer term 2016, and culminate in the organization of an international conference on Experimental Philosophy in Osnabrück in 2017. In the summer term 2016, it can only be joined as a study project, not as an interdisciplinary course.

Weitere Angaben

Veranstaltungsart: Seminar (Offizielle Lehrveranstaltungen)
Veranstaltungsnummer: 8.3300
Ort: 69/127
Zeiten: Di. 16:00 - 18:00 (wöchentlich)
Erster Termin: Dienstag, 25.10.2016 16:00 - 18:00, Ort: 69/127

Studienbereiche

  • Cognitive Science > Master-Programm