PP3FWR: Free Will and Responsibility

Module code: PP3FWR

Module provider: Philosophy; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Professor Maximilian De Gaynesford , email: r.m.degaynesford@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 3 April 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module adopts a ‘radical philosophy’ approach, as developed in the second set text. Radical Philosophy distinguishes itself from other forms by being simultaneously (a) fundamental; (b) engaged with issues that matter to us all; and (c) audacious. 
‘Freedom’ is a central concept in modern political and ethical debate.  But many aspects remain unclear and call for philosophical investigation. For example, we are often able to do what we want. And that certainly looks like being free. But suppose we do not control what we want. We may be doing what we want, but are we free? Or suppose everything that happens must happen, as a result of events that took place millennia before our birth. That includes not only every action we perform, but every want that drove us to that action. Again, we may be doing what we want, but are we free? If not, do our lives have any more significance than that of fleas? Can we really be held responsible for anything? Do we ever merit praise or deserve blame? Are we ever justified in punishing people?  

This module develops a keen sense of the significance of philosophical thinking in dealing with free will and responsibility. The module also enhances global engagement and multi-cultural awareness by investigating different cultural approaches to these problems. The module draws on a range of different conceptions of what counts as ‘Philosophy’, so it encourages students to compare and contrast very different ways of doing philosophy. The emphasis is on developing independent learning, personal effectiveness and self-awareness as well as the ability to reflect effectively on your progress and strengths and on the goals you wish to achieve. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Confront their deepest beliefs and assumptions about freedom and responsibility in a characteristically philosophical way
2. Improve and test for research skills (this is a research-led module) - particularly the ability of students to discover new material for themselves and to develop it themselves
3. Develop mastery of the advanced skills of philosophy – particularly in written work and in oral discussion
4. Enhance their contextual abilities: this module teaches students different ways of relating concepts and theories to the current context, so they can develop the skills to apply their knowledge to real world problems
5. Improve personal effectiveness through developing these independent-learning skills

Module content

We will begin with foundational work on how to identify what is philosophically puzzling about free will and responsibility issues. Then we will study three main issues  

• Are we Free? 

• Are we Responsible? 

• Does it Matter? 

and examine core arguments and problems. We will cover Compatibilism, Incompatibilism, Libertarianism, Agent Causation, Scepticism, Alternative Possibilities, New Compatibilism and Reactive Attitudes.  

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Our classes will be 100% discussion-based i.e. fully dependent on participation, small- and large-group discussion, paired and group activities etc. and hence not audio-visually recordable. There will be no lectures, and —given the impossibility of recording small and large group discussions—no recordings. Extracting the value of this module depends on your active participation in all classes, not just your attendance. Everything you need - all the 'content' etc - is carefully curated on the Blackboard site. As prompts, classes will use Slides and Extracts. These are available on Blackboard. 51ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø (required and suggested) and a full topic-distinguished Bibliography is available on Blackboard via TALIS. Assignment Information is also on Blackboard under the ‘Assignment’ links. Each class will focus on the Set 51ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø (see Schedule), Extracts (see BB) and Slides (see BB). The format will combine small-group and full-class discussion

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Examples include active participation in class discussions, small group work, or contributions to a discussion board.  

Reassessment

Additional costs