Epicurus on FreedomIn this book, Tim O'Keefe reconstructs the philosopher Epicurus' (341 271/0 BCE) theory of freedom. Epicurus' theory has attracted much interest, but our attempts to understand it have been hampered by reading it anachronistically as the discovery of the modern problem of free will and determinism. O'Keefe argues that the sort of freedom which Epicurus wanted to preserve is significantly different from the 'free will' which philosophers debate today, and that in its emphasis on rational action it has much closer affinities with Aristotle's thought than with current preoccupations. |
Contents
What sort of an incompatibilist is Epicurus? | 10 |
Lucretius on the swerve and voluntas | 26 |
Aristotle and Epicurus on the origins | 48 |
Epicurus reductionist response | 65 |
The swerve and collisions | 110 |
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action action-theory agent aitia animals Annas anti-reductionist archê argue Aristotle Aristotle and Epicurus Aristotle's asserts atomic motion atomic swerve believe Bobzien bodies Carneades causal determinism causal efficacy cause chapter character Chrysippus Cicero compatibilist concerned deliberation Democritean Democritus depend desire determinist Diodorus Cronus discussion eliminative materialism eliminativism Epicurean Epicurus says Epicurus thinks eternity ethics explain fatalist argument fate fato Furley future Idle Argument internal interpretations of Epicurus Laursen Letter to Herodotus libera voluntas libertarian Long and Sedley Lucretius Master Argument move natural motion Nature 25 necessary O'Keefe one's origin passage philosophy of mind position praise and blame Principle of Bivalence properties psychological Purinton radically emergent reason reductionism reductionist reject role sense sensible qualities Sextus Empiricus simply skeptical statements Stoics swerve swerve is supposed theory thesis things traditional interpretation translation true void volition voluntary ἐξ καὶ τὰ τὴν τὸ τῶν