Concept
2 readings
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Determinism
Concept · 2 readings
Determinism concerns the relation between prior conditions and what follows. Spinoza’s necessity, Hume’s account and modern debates must be distinguished; causal determination is not identical to coercion.
All readings
2 readings · Title A–Z
Guided course · Module 13 · Lesson 83
Can responsibility survive causal explanation?
Hume, van Inwagen and Fischer disagree about the control that responsibility requires. The lesson separates three ideas their arguments rely on: causal determination, alternative possibilities and responsiveness to reasons.
Guided course · Module 9 · Lesson 49
One nature or many substances?
Spinoza argues for one substance, God or Nature, and Leibniz for many monads. For Spinoza, understanding might increase freedom within a necessary order.