Compose an initial post in which you explain, apply, and defend what you believe to be the most promising definition of “free action.”

Initial Posts:
If you are in Group 2, your task is to compose an initial post in which you explain, apply,
and defend what you believe to be the most promising definition of “free action.”
We’ve seen five different definitions of “free action” offered in the course material for this
section: one each by hard determinism, classic compatibilism, libertarianism, the deep self view,
and the sane deep self view (note that the hard determinist definition was presented most clearly
in the Topic 12 reading assignment & lecture notes). I suggest that you take those five definitions
as a starting point. Thinking about the definitions we’ve studied as well as their advantages and
disadvantages is a good way to develop your own ideas on this topic. You are of course free to
defend one of those definitions if you wish. But you aren’t required to defend any of the
definitions we’ve studied. If you think the best definition of “free action” is one that in some way
adjusts or combines the definitions we’ve studied, that’s totally fine. It’s also fine if you think the
best definition is one we didn’t cover, but a new definition of your own creation. Regardless of
whether you choose to defend one of the five definitions we covered, some
adjustment/combination of those definitions, or something entirely new, be sure to
thoroughly explain the definition you propose – according to that definition, exactly what
constitutes a “free action”?
Once you’ve explained your favored definition, your next task is to apply that definition to
human actions. According to your proposed definition, do humans ever act freely? If so, when
and how: What kind(s) of human actions are free according to that definition, and why/how do
those actions satisfy that definition? (It will help to both explain the general kind of human
actions that are free according to your proposed definition and provide and explain one or more
particular example(s) of such actions.) If not, why not: Why do all human actions fail to satisfy
the definition you propose?
Finally, you should defend your proposed definition by critically comparing it to at least one of
the five definitions of “free action” that we examined: Why should we accept your proposed
definition rather than that/those alternative definition(s)? While you are only required to
critically compare your proposed definition to one alternative, your defense will be more
thorough if you are able to show why your proposed definition is superior to multiple
alternatives. The more alternative definitions you can successfully show your definition to be
superior to, the more reason we have to accept that definition.
To make your initial post, navigate to “Discussion Board 2: Free Action” and then click “Create
Thread.” Your post must be submitted by 11:59 PM on Thursday, Apr. July 28.
Note: As explained below, it’s likely that a member of Group 1 will respond to your post by
trying to identify counterexamples to your proposed definition of “free action.” You should not
be disappointed or offended by their post. First of all, they have to pose counterexamples to your
definition in order to receive credit – that’s their assignment! Second, even very promising
definitions will have counterexamples – if there were a perfect definition of “free action,” that’s
the only one we would have studied! Trying to think of those counterexamples is one of the best
ways to assess and further strengthen what might already be a promising account of free action.
Initial posts will be graded on the basis of:
1. Clarity – your post should be carefully written such that it is clear what constitutes a free
action on your proposed definition and whether/which/why particular human actions
satisfy that definition.
2. Accuracy – your post should not misrepresent any of the course material, but instead
show a deep and accurate understanding of that material, importantly including the
various definitions of free action we examined.
3. Thoroughness – your post should not overlook any important considerations; the
definition you propose should be defended in a way that is not only convincing, but also
thorough in the sense that key points are not assumed or merely glossed over, but
explained and defended in detail, and multiple alternative definitions are critically
discussed.

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