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Spinoza on free will / Matthew J. Kisner

Cambridge eBooks: Frontlist 2026 Available online

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Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Kisner, Matthew J., 1974- author.
Series:
Cambridge elements. Elements in the philosophy of Benedict de Spinoza
Cambridge elements. Elements in the philosophy of Benedict de Spinoza, 2977-7364
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
Spinoza, Benedictus de, 1632-1677.
Spinoza, Benedictus de.
Free will and determinism.
Personal Autonomy.
Medical Subjects:
Personal Autonomy.
Physical Description:
1 online resource
Place of Publication:
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026
Summary:
"In recent writings on popular science, there has been much handwringing about the apparently deterministic picture of human decision making suggested by the latest scientific research. Robert Sapolsky's bestselling Determined boldly argues that morality must be reformed because free will has been effectively refuted. But the question of whether free will and morality can be reconciled with a causally determined world is nothing new, nor is it the sort of question that can be answered by scientists. This Element examines how these questions were answered by Spinoza, history's most forceful defender of the claim that all things are necessarily determined, who also was keenly interested in the prospects for morality in a determined world. The Element aims to show that this figure from the past offers a timely and insightful explanation of how we can be free and responsible even if our actions are inevitable"-- Cambridge Core
Contents:
Two kinds of free will
The problem of free will
The lynchpin question
Spinoza’s metaphysics in three steps
Spinoza’s freedom of the will
The consequential question : responsibility
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references
Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge Core, viewed May 26, 2026)
Other Format:
Print version: Kisner, Matthew J., 1974- Spinoza on free will
ISBN:
9781009698894
1009698893
9781009698917
1009698915
OCLC:
1580917391
Publisher Number:
CIPO000381793
Access Restriction:
Restricted for use by site license

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