A Question of Agency: The Defense of the Libertarian Position
This paper will argue that, as Chisholm realized, the forces of determinism have so long ruled the philosophical landscape because of their ability to determine the parameters of the debate. They have succeeded in redefining humans as "mechanistic" constructs, and restricted the range of the self to the narrow boundaries of consciousness. As will be shown, the hard determinist position amounts to nothing less than a denial of the existence of the self in any meaningful sense of the word. In this context, this paper will argue that the forces of libertarianism must challenge this denial of the self, and extend the frontiers of the individual to the boundaries of the body. 6.5 pgs. 8 f/c. 4b.