A.J. Ayer’s Freedom and Necessity (1080 Words)

Write a short reflection paper on A.J. Ayer:

Prompt: A.J. Ayer concludes that an action is free if it satisfies 3 conditions.
Describe the 3 conditions and explain why Ayer thinks that all 3 are sufficient for an action to be free.
Provide an example of an action that is free in Ayer's sense and an action that is not free in Ayer's sense.
Is Ayer's account of freedom sufficient for moral responsibility?
Provide reasons for your position.

The problem of free will is that, on the one hand, it is assumed that people act freely, while on the other hand, “human behavior is entirely governed by causal laws” (Ayer 1954). Given this seeming paradox, Ayers Ayers argues that an act is free if it satisfies three conditions.
Three Conditions
First, I must be able to act otherwise. Second, I cannot be forced to act in a certain way. Finally, the act must be voluntary in the sense that the person chose to act in such a way. These three conditions, compulsion, constraint, and voluntary action will be discussed in the light of a discussion about freedom. I will first lay out what I think Ayers would call a free act and then talk about how he would assess an act that is not free...

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