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29/06/2016

Hobbesonlibertyandnecessity

Hobbesonlibertyandnecessity
Classnotesfor21February

Background
Hobbessviewoffreewillmadehimarathernotoriousfigure.JeremyTaylorremindedthoselisteningtohis
sermonin1663that,itisknowneverywherewithwhatPietyandacumenhe[Bramhall]wroteagainstthe
ManicheanDoctrineofFatalnecessity,whichalatewittyman[guesswho!]hadpretendedtoadornwitha
newVizor[i.e.maskordisguisemjg](ASermonPreachedinChristsChurch,Dublin,July16,1663[Early
EnglishBooks]).
Muchlater,T.S.EliotinsistedthatBramhallhadexposedHobbesasoneofthoseextraordinarylittle
upstartswhomthechaoticmotionsoftheRenaissancetossedintoaneminencewhichtheyhardlydeserved
andhaveneverlost(JohnBramhall,inSelectedEssays1950,p.312).
Yes,butwhatdidhereallythink?
Ofcourse,Hobbeshadhisadmirersaswell.SamuelPepyswroteinhisdiaryforthe20thofNovember,
1661thathewenttobedand,laylongreadingHobbshisLibertyandNecessity,andalittlebutvery
shrewdpiece,andsotosleep.
Imsureyoudidthesamelastnight.

Mainpoints
WespentmostofourtimeinclasstryingtounderstandHobbessview.
Hobbesheldthatactionsandpeoplecanbefree,providedtheydonotfaceexternalimpedimentstodoing
whattheywilltodo.Hedeniedthatanyoneswillisfree.Thewillisthelastappetitebeforeaction.Our
actionsarecausedbywhatwewantbutwedonotgenerallycontrolwhatwewant.Therefore,ourwillsare
determinedbutouractionsaresometimesfree.
Onethingwediscoveredindiscussingthisisthevalueofexamples.Thesimplerthebetter.JonK.s
exampleofwantinglunchandArielsexampleofthecagewereveryhelpfulinillustratingHobbessview.
Whetheritsrightornotisanotherquestion,ofcourse.
Anotherlessonwasthatitsvaluabletopayattentiontothedefinitions.Justin,forinstance,duginon
Hobbessdefinitionofthewill.Thoseareessentialforkeepingtrackofanauthorsview,especiallyinthis
area.Again,asGarrettpointedout,adefinitiondoesntproveanythingandyouhavetobecarefultobesure
thatauthorsdontsneaktheirconclusionsintotheirdefinitions.

Evaluation
TherearemanyrespectsinwhichHobbesswritingissuperiortoBramhalls.Chiefamongtheseishishabit
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Hobbesonlibertyandnecessity

ofdefininghisterms.
Thatsaid,wedidnotputalotofeffortintodiscoveringthepositivecasethatHobbesmadeforhisposition.
HisargumentsmostlyconsistinshowingthatonecanconsistenlysaythingslikeBramhallchosetowritehis
paperorBramhallhadthelibertytowritehispaperwithoutbeingcommittedtosomethingelse,namely,
Bramhallswillwasfree,meaningitwasntcausallydetermined.
WelldiscussmoreofthepositivecaseforapositionlikeHobbessonThursday,whenwewilldiscuss8of
HumesEnquiry,Oflibertyandnecessity.
Incidentally,whileIthinkthatHobbesgenerallygotthebetteroftheexchange,thereareacoupleofplaces
whereBramhallreallyscoredsomepointsonHobbes.
Oneisin20,pp.910ofourreading.ThereBramhallarguesthatapersonwhosewillhasbeenalteredby
adrug(ourversionofhisamatorypotionsandmagicalincantations)wouldnotactfreely.Thereseemsto
besomethingtothatandIdontrecallHobbesaddressingit.
Whatthosewhothinkthatfreedomiscompatiblewithcausaldeterminationofouractions(compatibilists)
typicallysayinresponsetothissortofpointisthatthereasonwhythedruggedpersonisnotfreeisthather
actionsarecontrolledbyanotherperson.
Butthosewhothinkfreedomisincompatiblewithcausaldeterminationofouractions(incompatibilists)ask
whythatmatters.Frommyperspective,whatdifferencedoesitmakewhethermydesiresaredeterminedby
anotherpersonfeedingmedrugsorthevastcausalsystemoftheuniverse?

Everythinghasacause
Hobbesarguedthatanaction(suchaswriting,talking,goingtolunch,etc.)maybefreeevenifthewillis
determined.ButwhatreasonsdidHobbesgiveforthinkingthatthewillisdetermined?
Inmyopinion,hisbestoptionwouldhavebeentopointoutallthewaysthatwearenotincontrolofwhatwe
want.IcantcontrolwhetherIfeelhungry,wanttodowellinclass,dontcareaboutdoingwellinclass,and
soon.ButIthinkIactfreelywhenIdothingsbecauseIwanttodothem,suchasgoingtolunchbecause
ImhungryorstayinginclassbecauseIwanttodowellinclass.
Butthatisntwhathesaidinthereadingwedid(thoughhedidsayitlater,onp.72).Instead,hegaveatwo
partargumentabouteverything.Thefirstpartmaintainsthateverythinghasacause.Thisisthepointthat
Emmaexplained:causesarenecessarytodeterminewhenthingshappen(seepp.3940).Second,
Hobbes,likeHumeandMalebranche,heldthateverycausemakesitseffectnecessary(see31,p.38).So,
sinceeverythinghasacauseandeverycausemakesitseffectnecessary,itfollowsthateverythingis
necessarilydeterminedtohappen.
HumecriticizedHobbessclaimtohaveshownthateverythinghasacause.Thefirstparagraphbelowputsa
twistonafamiliarpoint.Justaswecanimaginethatanycausefailstoproduceitseffect,wecanconceive
anyeffectwithoutitscause.ThesecondparagraphisaimedattheargumentfromHobbesthatEmma
explainedtoday:somephilosophersmeansHobbes.
Wecanneverdemonstratethenecessityofacausetoeverynewexistence,ornewmodificationof
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existence,withoutshewingatthesametimetheimpossibilitythereis,thatanythingcaneverbeginto
existwithoutsomeproductiveprincipleandwherethelatterpropositioncannotbeproved,wemust
despairofeverbeingabletoprovetheformer.Nowthatthelatterpropositionisutterlyincapableofa
demonstrativeproof,wemaysatisfyourselvesbyconsidering,thatasalldistinctideasareseparable
fromeachother,andastheideasofcauseandeffectareevidentlydistinct,itwillbeeasyforusto
conceiveanyobjecttobenonexistentthismoment,andexistentthenext,withoutconjoiningtoitthe
distinctideaofacauseorproductiveprinciple.Theseparationthereforeoftheideaofacausefromthat
ofabeginningofexistence,isplainlypossiblefortheimaginationandconsequentlytheactualseparation
oftheseobjectsissofarpossible,thatitimpliesnocontradictionnorabsurdityandisthereforeincapable
ofbeingrefutedbyanyreasoningfrommereideas,withoutwhichitisimpossibletodemonstratethe
necessityofacause.
Accordingly,weshallfinduponexamination,thateverydemonstration,whichhasbeenproducedforthe
necessityofacause,isfallaciousandsophistical.Allthepointsoftimeandplace,saysomephilosophers,
inwhichwecansupposeanyobjecttobegintoexist,areinthemselvesequalandunlesstherebesome
cause,whichispeculiartoonetimeandtooneplace,andwhichbythatmeansdeterminesandfixesthe
existence,itmustremainineternalsuspenseandtheobjectcanneverbegintobe,forwantof
somethingtofixitsbeginning.ButIask,isthereanymoredifficultyinsupposingthetimeandplacetobe
fixedwithoutacause,thantosupposetheexistencetobedeterminedinthatmanner?Thefirstquestion
thatoccursonthissubjectisalways,whethertheobjectshallexistornot:thenext,whenandwhereit
shallbegintoexist.Iftheremovalofacausebeintuitivelyabsurdintheonecase,itmustbesointhe
otherandifthatabsurditybenotclearwithoutaproofintheonecase,itwillequallyrequireoneinthe
other.Theabsurditythenoftheonesuppositioncanneverbeaproofofthatoftheothersincetheyare
bothuponthesamefooting,andmuststandorfallbythesamereasoning.
Source:DavidHume,ATreatiseofHumanNature,Book1,Part3,Section3.[InteLexPastMasters]
Thatsaid,HumeagreedwithHobbesthisfar.Heheldthathumanactionisjustassubjecttocausal
necessityasanythingelse.Inournextclass,wellreadHumesversionofcompatibilism.

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