Thomas Reid on Active Power and Free Agency

XU Xiangdong

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Front. Philos. China ›› 2011, Vol. 6 ›› Issue (3) : 369-389. DOI: 10.1007/s11466-011-0145-3
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Thomas Reid on Active Power and Free Agency

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Abstract

The paper argues that it is a mistake to interpret Thomas Reid as holding a libertarian notion of freedom, and to make use of Reid to argue in support of a libertarian position. More precisely, this paper shows that Reid’s theory of agent-causation may not be what these philosophers take it to be, once such crucial notions as agent-causation and active power in Reid’s theory of free agency have been fully explicated. Reid is more committed to accepting the view of freedom as rational self-control over the determination of the will than a contracausal view of freedom.

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active power / passive power / willing / agent-causation / voluntary action / determination

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XU Xiangdong. Thomas Reid on Active Power and Free Agency. Front Phil Chin, 2011, 6(3): 369‒389 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11466-011-0145-3

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