Very Bad Wizards Episode 2: The "Dangerous Truth" about Free Will (Free Will and Morality, Pt. 2)
Sep 1, 2012
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Threat to Moral Responsibility
- Denying libertarian free will threatens people's sense of moral responsibility and motivation for heroic acts.
- Some philosophers fear this loss of belief will diminish heroic behavior and moral worth appreciation.
Free Will Belief and Cheating
- Empirical study shows telling people there is no free will increases cheating behavior.
- This suggests belief in free will supports ethical motivation and resisting temptation.
Distinction in Free Will Threats
- The study may conflate lack of free will with absence of causal power of intentions.
- People might be more threatened by believing their intentions don't influence actions than by determinism alone.