PHIL 223 PHILOSOPHY OF FREEDOM. This course will explore the fundamental concept of freedom from a philosophical perspective.

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1 1 Dr Christine Habbard Fall Term 2013 PHIL 223 PHILOSOPHY OF FREEDOM This course will explore the fundamental concept of freedom from a philosophical perspective. Are we at all free? Is freedom not just a beautiful illusion? Is our existence not entirely determined by necessity, be it under the form of scientific, historical, social, psycho-analytical or even theological determinism? We will thus study the relationship between freedom and causal determinism. This will also shed some light on the nature/culture debate. And if we are free, what exactly does it mean? As a human being there are natural limits to my freedom: I am obviously not free to transform myself into, say, a bird. But within these constraints, should freedom be understood as the mere elimination of external obstacles I am free if I can do whatever I want to, without outside interference? In that sense, liberty would be identical to independence. But this will lead us to another question: if, for instance, I act out of uncontrolled impulse, anger or passion, can I still be said to be free, even if I cannot master these very passions of mine? Should I not rather be considered free when I rise above these appetites and impulses, and obey the voice of reason, or of a higher call? This raises several issues: - The relationship between freedom and the rational will: maybe only our deliberate, rational, reflected decisions can be considered free. My guts and instinct are perhaps nothing else but a form of self-enslavement. This will also open the debate on rational choice what are the conceptual underpinnings of game theory? - The relationship between freedom and morality. Are my vices voluntary? - The relationship between liberty and the law. Perhaps obeying to a law is not so much a serfdom as a liberation. Liberty is then understood as autonomy (auto-nomos, one s own law). We will broaden the discussion to encompass, besides the metaphysical concept, the social and political concept of freedom, through the various conceptualizations of human rights. What is positive and negative freedom? We will explore the transition from liberalism to libertarianism and the subtle changes in the concept of freedom it implies.

2 2 Reading list (in alphabetical order): Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Bk 3, chap. 1-6 Beccaria, On Crimes and Punishments, chap. 1-3 Isaiah Berlin, Two Concepts of Liberty, I-III Calvin, The Institution of Christian Religion, Book 1, ch. 2 Benjamin Constant, On The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of the Moderns Descartes, - The Meditations on First Philosophy, Meditations I- IV - Replies to Objections VI (Mersenne) - Principles of Philosophy, art and Discourse on the Method, Ch. 2 and 3. - The Passions of the Soul, art , 45-46, 50, Dostoyevsky, The Gambler chap X-XII XXDuns Scotus, Duns Scotus on the Will and Morality, edited by Allan Wolter (Catholic Univ. of America Press, 1986) Epictetus, The Enchiridion, parag 1-21 Sigmund Freud, The Structure of the Unconscious. Kant, - Critique of Pure Reason, Section II, Antithetic of Pure Reason. - Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, excerpts from sections I, II and III. - An Answer to the Question What is Enlightenment? Søren Kierkegaard, - The Concept of Irony, Part 2 - Concept of Anxiety, 5-6. Leibniz, - Discourse of Metaphysics, VIII-XIV John Locke, - An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Bk II, chap XXI, d Treatise on Civil Government, chap. IX, On the Ends of Political Society and Government - A Letter Concerning Toleration, pp Martin Luther King, I have a dream, speech delivered on 28 Aug 1963, Washington DC Karl Marx, The German Ideology, Part I J.S. Mill, On Liberty, Introductory and ch. II. Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State and Utopia, Chapter 7, Distributive Justice. John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, o chapter II, parag 11 Two Principles of Justice o chapter III, The Original Position, parag J.-J. Rousseau, The Social Contract, Bk I, chap. 6-9 and Bk II, chap. 1-5 J.-P. Sartre, Being and Nothingness, IV, chap 1 Being and Doing: Freedom, pp Spinoza, - Ethics, I, II, 48-49; - Letter to Blyenbergh Charles Taylor, The Idea of Freedom, What s wrong with negative liberty Course requirements: There is no pre-requisite. The reading is compulsory and will be checked. Attendance is compulsory and will be checked.

3 3 Oral participation is actively encouraged. The course will be graded in the following manner: - Assignments 40% - Reading summaries 10% - Attendance 5% - A (cumulative) final 3-hour examination 45% There will be no mid-term. Course outline: Week 0: Add/drop week On the merits of philosophy. Great moments of freedom. Week 1: General Introduction What is Freedom? Exploring the basic, intuitive understanding of freedom, and the antinomies associated with it: freedom/necessity, necessity/contingency, autonomy/independence, freedom from/ freedom to, external/internal necessity Week 2: Freedom and Determinism Are We at all Free? Freedom as an illusion: we act not by free choice, but out of a causal determinism, which can be conceived in different manners: natural necessity, social or scientific determinism, genetics and anatomy, historical or theological necessity, the subconscious. Epictetus, The Enchiridion, parag 1-21 Freud, The Structure of the Unconscious Marx, The German Ideology, part I Spinoza, Ethics, I, II, Week 3: Freedom and Determinism, contd. The metaphysical debate on the possibility of compatibility between determinism in nature and freedom of the individual. Fatalism. The issue of divine predestination: How can we be free if God is omniscient? How can divine and human liberty be compatible? Kant, - Critique of Pure Reason, Section II, Antithetic of Pure Reason Leibniz, Discourse of Metaphysics, VIII-XIV Week 4: The Freedom of the Will The medieval concept of freedom of the will. Duns Scotus, Duns Scotus on the Will and Morality, edited by Allan Wolter (Catholic Univ. of America Press, 1986)

4 4 Week 5: The Freedom of Rationality The philosophical tradition of rational freedom, starting from the Greeks passions as an enslavement and a serfdom. The prudential, deliberate choice (prohairesis) as the model of a free act. Economic rationality, and the theoretical underpinnings of game theory. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Bk 3, chap. 1-6 Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Bk II, chap XXI, 9-27 Rawls, A Theory of Justice, chapter III, The Original Position Week 6: Freedom and Rationality, contd. The Will A new articulation of liberty and necessity: the utmost form of liberty is another form of necessity rational necessity. Descartes infinite will, the notion of generosity. The objectivity of the freedom: elevating a subjective choice to an objective value. Case study: how free is an addiction? The case of gambling. Descartes, The Meditations, Meditation IV Replies to Objections VI (Mersenne) Principles of Philosophy, art and The Passions of the Soul, art , 50, Discourse on the Method, Part III Dostoyevsky, The Gambler, chap X-XII Weeks 7-8: Liberty and Law: The Philosophical Concept of Autonomy Kant s extension to the moral realm of Rousseau s concept of political freedom. Freedom as autonomy: being both legislator and subject to the law. Moral responsibility. Kant, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Rousseau, The Social Contract, Bk I, chap. 6-9 and Bk II, chap. 1-4 Week 9: Freedom and Morality: Are We Free to Commit Evil? One of the enduring problems of philosophy: the paradox of evil. We cannot attribute it to a natural determinism, lest we exonerate the individual of his wrongdoings. But to what extent can he be said to be free when he acts wrongly? Are vices voluntary? The issue of the original sin and the loss of freedom. The question of crime and punishment. Why punish? Beccaria, On Crimes and Punishments, chap. 1-3, pp Calvin, The Institution of Christian Religion, Book 2, chapters 1-2 Rousseau, The Social Contract, Bk II, chap. 4 Spinoza, Letter to Blyenbergh Week 10: The Case of Existentialism: Radicalizing Freedom

5 5 The radicality of contemporary conceptualizations of freedom. The relationship between the individual and others: liberty and intersubjectivity. Freedom as a leap. Søren Kierkegaard, - The Concept of Irony, Part 2 - Concept of Anxiety, 5-6. Sartre, Being and Nothingness, IV, chap 1 Being and Doing: Freedom Weeks 11-12: The Political Concept of Freedom The invention of political freedom: human rights. Negative and positive freedoms. Freedom of conscience, of expression, right to privacy. Isaiah Berlin, Two Concepts of Liberty, I-IV Benjamin Constant, On The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of the Moderns Kant, An Answer to the Question What is Enlightenment? John Locke, - 2d Treatise on Civil Government, chap. IX, On the Ends of Political Society and Government - A Letter Concerning Toleration J.S. Mill, On Liberty, Introductory and ch. 2 Weeks 13-14: The Political Concept of Freedom, contd. Contemporary Perspectives Freedom and Justice. Liberty, liberalism, libertarianism. Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State and Utopia, Chapter 7, Distributive Justice John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Charles Taylor, The Idea of Freedom, What s wrong with negative liberty