COURSE DESCRIPTION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION
| Course Name | Code | Semester | T+A+L (hour/week) | Type (C / O) | Local Credit | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Will and Determinism: The Web of Life | KHAS 1614 | Spring | 03+00+00 | Elective | 3 | 5 |
| Academic Unit: | Department of Common Courses – Core Program |
| Mode of Delivery: | Face to face |
| Prerequisites: | None |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Course Unit: | Undergraduate |
| Course Coordinator: | - - |
| Course Objectives: | The objective of this course is to examine the basic concepts of free will and determinism from numerous perspectives, both from moral and empirical levels. Our basic understanding of the physical world offers a deterministic picture of the universe, where all effects depend on prior causes; whereas such a causal chain casts doubt on the possibility of a “free choice”. As each prior effect causes another, it seems logical to suggest that a person can never be the ultimate cause of her/his action. Understanding and correctly interpreting this basic problem requires a dialogue between philosophy, religion, physics, psychology and neuroscience. Moreover, answering such a question has important practical impacts: on our attitude towards moral blame and responsibility, as well as some recent discussions on AI (the criteria of a free consciousness) |
| Course Contents: | • Is freedom ultimately an illusion? • Can our actions be both determined and free; • The difference between determinism, necessity and destiny; • How to interpret the free will experiments of Libet (1983)? • Case studies and thought experiments in social sciences (Phineas Gage, The Case of Leopold and Loeb (1924), the effects of rationalization through hypnosis and confabulation, the Milgram experiment (1961), Frankfurt cases) • Is it possible to attribute indeterminism to the operations of the universe, and if so, can this stand as a possible explanation of free will? (Various interpretations of quantum mechanics and their applicability to our deliberation processes) |
| Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit (LO): |
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| Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods: | Lectures & Writing-Discussion Sessions ● 60-90 min. of lectures per week ● 60 min. of discussion and writing exercise ● 15 min. of visual content or reading material |
WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATIONS
| Week | Subjects | Related Preperation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orientation, syllabus overview and introduction to the concept of freedom, free will and determinism | |
| 2 | Free Will and Akrasia in Antiquity | Reading the assigned article, preparing for the in-class writing activity |
| 3 | The Cartesian Dualism and its counter approaches | Reading the assigned article, preparing for the in-class writing activity |
| 4 | Case Studies: Searching for the relation between freedom and determinism through neurology | Reading the assigned article, preparing for the in-class writing activity |
| 5 | Freedom and Predestination | Reading the assigned article, preparing for the in-class writing activity |
| 6 | Existential Themes: Freedom as a Burden | Reading the assigned article, preparing for the in-class writing activity |
| 7 | Spring Break | |
| 8 | Group assignment: Oral Debate | Preparing for the Oral Debate |
| 9 | Compatibilism and Incompatibilism | Reading the assigned article, preparing for the in-class writing activity |
| 10 | Compatibilist Approach | Reading the assigned article, preparing for the in-class writing activity |
| 11 | Incompatibilist Approach | Reading the assigned article, preparing for the in-class writing activity |
| 12 | Free Will experiment of Libet and Frankfurt cases | Reading the assigned article, preparing for the in-class writing activity |
| 13 | Freedom and Agency through the perspective of AI algorithms | Reading the assigned article, preparing for the in-class writing activity |
| 14 | Overview | Preparing for the in-class collage activity |
At Kadir Has University, a Semester is 14 weeks; The weeks 15 and 16 are reserved for final exams.
REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED READING
| Aristotle. (2004). Nicomachean Ethics (C. D. C. Crisp, Ed. & Trans.). Cambridge University Press. Burkeman, O. (2021, Apr 27) The clockwork universe: Is free will an illusion? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/apr/27/the-clockwork-universe-is-free-will-an-illusion Dennett, D. C. (2004). Freedom Evolves. Vikings, Penguin Books. First, D. (2017 June) Will big data algorithms dismantle the foundations of liberalism? AI & Society, DOI 10.1007/s00146-017-0733-4 Gilbert, F. (2009) Does neurobiological determinism entail the end of criminal responsibility? In Center for Applied Ethics and Philosophy (Ed.), Applied ethics: Life, environment and society (pp.37-45). Kean, S. (2014). The tale of the dueling neurosurgeons: The history of the human brain as revealed by true stories of trauma, madness, and recovery. Little, Brown and Company. Plato. (2004). Republic (C. D. C. Reeve, Trans.). Hackett Publishing Company. Sartre, J. P. (1956). Being and Nothingness (H. E. Barnes, Trans.). Philosophical Library. Singleton, G. (2016). Akrasia: Why do we act against our better judgement? Philosophy Now. https://philosophynow.org/issues/112/Akrasia_Why_Do_We_Act_Against_Our_Better_Judgement Sherry, P. (2023, January 3). Problem of evil. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/problem-of-evil Lacewing, M. (2017). Philosophy for A level: Metaphysics of God and metaphysics of mind. Routledge. Libet, B. (2002) Do we have free will? In R. Kane (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of free will (pp. 551-65). Oxford University Press. |
OTHER COURSE RESOURCES
| Harmon D. & Roiland J. (Executive Producers). (2013-) Rick & Morty [TV series]. Adult Swim. Linklater, R. (2001). Waking Life [Film]. Fox Searchlight Pictures. |
ASSESSMENT METHODS AND CRITERIA
| Semester Requirements | Number | Percentage of Grade (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance / Participation | 1 | 10 |
| Homework Assignments | 4 | 20 |
| Midterms / Oral Exams / Quizes | 1 | 30 |
| Final Exam | 1 | 40 |
| Total: | 7 | 100 |
WORKLOAD
| Events | Count | Duration (Hours) | Total Workload (hour) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Hours | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Homework Assigments | 4 | 5 | 20 |
| Extra-Class Activities (reading,individiual work, etc.) | 12 | 4 | 48 |
| Midterms / Oral Exams / Quizes | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Final Exam | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Total Workload (hour): | 125 | ||
1 ECTS = 25 Hours Workload
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (LO) AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS (PQ)
| # | PQ1 | PQ2 | PQ3 | PQ4 | PQ5 | PQ6 | PQ7 | PQ8 | PQ9 | PQ10 | PQ11 | PQ12 |
| LO1 | ||||||||||||
| LO2 | ||||||||||||
| LO3 | ||||||||||||
| LO4 | ||||||||||||
| LO5 |
Contribution: 1 Low, 2 Average, 3 High