Crash Course Philosophy: Free Will vs. Determinism

These flashcards cover key concepts from the Crash Course Philosophy lecture on free will and determinism, focusing on Oedipus, libertarian free will, hard determinism, and the philosophical debate surrounding these topics.

Oedipus

A character from Greek legend who was foretold to kill his father and marry his mother.

Libertarian Free Will

The view that humans have the capability to make entirely free actions.

Hard Determinism

The belief that every event, including human actions, is the result of prior events and is inevitable.

Principle of Alternate Possibilities

The idea that an action is free only if the agent could have done otherwise.

Event Causation

The concept that physical events occur as a result of prior physical events.

Agent Causation

The theory that an agent can initiate a causal chain independent of prior events.

Reductionism

The view that all phenomena can be explained by reducing them to their simplest components.

Baron D’Holbach

An 18th century philosopher who argued that our actions are determined by an unbroken chain of prior events.

Invisible Causes

Factors in the mind that dictate human actions, such as beliefs, desires, and temperament.

Cogs in a Machine

A metaphor used by D’Holbach to suggest that humans are part of a deterministic universe with no free will.