私たちは本当に自らの意思のみで何かを決めることができるのでしょうか。そうせざるをえない要因に導かれて行動を起こしているだけで、違う選択もできたと思うのは錯覚ではないでしょうか。もし自由な意思など存在しないとするなら、自らの行動の道徳的責任を負わされるのは間違っているのではないか？ 自由意思は西洋哲学の最も重要な問題のひとつです。ギリシア哲学や中世の哲学者の思想にも目を向けながら、この根底をなす哲学的な大きな問題を、さまざまな角度から切り込み、検証します。
    

• An incisive introduction to one of the best-known philosophical problems - the question of whether we are ever in control of how we act and what this control involves
• Discusses a range of issues surrounding free will, looking at the history of the subject from the ideas of Greek and medieval philosophers to the present-day thinkers
• Written by a leading authority on the subject
• Complements other titles in the series, such as Ethics and Philosophy
• Emphasises and explores the fact that the freewill problem has had a long history by looking at the ideas of Greek and medieval philosophers.

 
Every day we seem to make and act upon all kinds of free choices - some of them trivial, and some so consequential that they may change the course of our life, or even the course of history. But are these choices really free? Or are we compelled to act the way we do by factors beyond our control? Is the feeling that we could have made different decisions just an illusion? And if our choices are not free, why should we be held morally responsible for our actions?
 
This Very Short Introduction, written by a leading authority on the subject, looks at a range of issues surrounding this fundamental philosophical question, exploring it from the ideas of the Greek and medieval philosophers through to the thoughts of present-day thinkers. It provides a interesting and incisive introduction to this perennially fascinating subject.