How (not) to attack the luck argument

Philosophical Explorations 13 (2):157-166 (2010)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

The Luck Argument is among the most influential objections to the main brand of libertarianism about metaphysical freedom and moral responsibility. In his work, Alfred Mele [2006. Free will and luck . Oxford: Oxford University Press] develops - and then attempts to defeat - the literature's most promising version of the Luck Argument. After explaining Mele's version of the Luck Argument, I present two objections to his novel reply to the argument. I argue for the following two claims: (1) Mele's reply is either otiose or undermined by his own defense of the Luck Argument from a different objection and (2) Mele's reply turns out to lack the form required to engage the step of the Luck Argument it targets. Having shown that the failure of Mele's novel attack is overdetermined, I close by defending a different (and, I believe, decisive) objection to the Luck Argument - which, as it happens, lurks right under Mele's nose

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 91,628

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Farewell to the luck (and Mind) argument.Christopher Evan Franklin - 2011 - Philosophical Studies 156 (2):199-230.
Alfred Mele's metaphysical freedom?E. J. Coffman & Ted A. Warfield - 2007 - Philosophical Explorations 10 (2):185 – 194.
On Alfred Mele's free will and luck.Derk Pereboom - 2007 - Philosophical Explorations 10 (2):163 – 172.
Is it all just a matter of luck?Timothy O'connor - 2007 - Philosophical Explorations 10 (2):157 – 161.
Does luck exclude control?E. J. Coffman - 2009 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 87 (3):499-504.
Lucky agents, big and little: should size really matter?David Blumenfeld - 2011 - Philosophical Studies 156 (3):311-319.

Analytics

Added to PP
2010-08-11

Downloads
150 (#125,107)

6 months
16 (#154,237)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

E. J. Coffman
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

References found in this work

Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility.Harry G. Frankfurt - 1969 - Journal of Philosophy 66 (23):829-839.
Living Without Free Will.Derk Pereboom - 2001 - New York: Cambridge University Press.
Free Will and Luck.Alfred R. Mele - 2006 - New York, US: Oxford University Press.
Persons and Causes: The Metaphysics of Free Will.Timothy O'Connor - 2000 - New York, US: Oxford University Press USA.
Living without Free Will.Derk Pereboom - 2001 - Philosophical Quarterly 53 (211):308-310.

View all 19 references / Add more references