The Free Will Show Episode 12: Libertarianism, Part 2 (Agent-Causal) with Timothy O'Connor
Jan 25, 2021
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O'Connor's Philosophical Origin Story
- Timothy O'Connor describes his path into philosophy and free will starting in an undergraduate metaphysics course.
- Reading Richard Taylor and being taught by Irving Falberg pushed him from doubt about free will toward a lifelong focus on the topic.
Agent Causes Produce Intentions Not Mere Events
- Agent causation posits agents (enduring substances) as basic causes that produce intentions which then initiate event sequences.
- O'Connor frames agent causes as purposive, non-reducible relations connecting an agent's goals, beliefs, and uncertainty to the production of an intention that triggers behavior.
Strong Emergence Shields Agency From Reduction
- Strong emergence means a system's causal powers are not exhausted by its parts and their interactions.
- O'Connor argues persons are emergent systems with irreducible system-level causal powers needed to resist reductionist 'threat from below'.