Lectures with Helen Steward and Derk Pereboom

The first two video recorded lectures from the Gothenburg Responsibility Conference 2016 has now been published. Both Professor Helen Steward (University of Leeds) and Derk Pereboom (Cornell University) spoke at the opening day of the the conference - August 24th.

J.L. Austin once famously claimed that determinism was "a name of nothing clear" ('Ifs and Cans', Philosophical Papers, p.231). But today many philosophers working on the free will problem operate happily with a definition of determinism that is pretty well accepted on all hands. Professor Helen Steward call it the ‘entailment definition’ and it states, roughly, that determinism is the thesis that for any given time, a complete statement of the nonrelational facts about that time, together with a complete statement of the laws of nature, entails every truth as to what happens after that time. In this paper, Steward argue that acceptance of the entailment definition has been a mistake – and make some suggestions about what ought to be put in its place.

Watch Professor Helen Steward argue for why many philosophers ought to revise their account on determinism here.

Professor Derk Pereboom defends a non-retributive model for treatment of criminals that incorporates the quarantine analogy for preventative detention, provisions for reintegration of criminals into society, together with forms of general deterrence that are consistent with the right to a life in which a person’s potential for flourishing is not compromised in the long term. Pereboom defend past versions of the view against objections, and develop in more detail the limited conception of general deterrence.

Watch Professor Derk Pereboom defend a non-retributive model for treatment of criminals here.

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