On the Issue of Free Will, Hume Is a Compatibilist

question 14

Multiple Choice

On the issue of free will, Hume is a compatibilist, persuaded that determinism (necessity) can be reconciled with free will (liberty) . In this reading he maintains that reconciliation is possible if we define liberty as "a power of acting or not acting, according to the determinations of the will." The idea is that you act freely when your act is caused by your will (desires, motivations, etc.) , even though your will is determined. If your will determines your actions, then they come from you, and you can therefore be held responsible for them. A will that is not itself caused is neither possible nor desirable.
-According to Hume, our actions are free when

• A) they are caused by our will.
• B) they are uncaused.
• C) they proceed from second-order volitions.
• D) they succeed.

---

Definitions:

Comets

Celestial bodies orbiting the sun, typically characterized by a nucleus of ice and dust and, when near the sun, a visible coma or tail.

Orbit

The curved path of a celestial object or spacecraft around a star, planet, or moon, under the influence of gravitational forces.

Pronoun

A word used to replace a noun or noun phrase, often to avoid repetition.

Committee

A group of people appointed or elected to perform a specified service or function.