The aim of the course is to provide an overview of the history of the idea of free will, starting with the Stoics, and continuing, in a rather erratic fashion, to the Eighteenth Century. It is designed so that MIT graduate students can credit it towards their history requirement. Where relevant contemporary literature will also be discussed. (Of course, one of the central questions will be whether contemporary discussions are relevant: whether the historical figures were concerned with the same questions as we are. But I'm keen for that question to be discussed: charges of anachronism need to be established and not just asserted.)
It would also be nice to tie the historical debates into shifts in broader popular thinking on self-efficacy and the like. I have no idea how one could seriously do that, but I flag it as a worthy goal.
The class will divided up into six sections of two weeks, each focussed on some particular figure or debate (there will be no class on Dec. 2nd). I'll present the first week of each section. The second week will be given over to graduate student presentations. Everyone taking the class for credit will be expected to give a presentation. Space permitting (which it should), anyone auditing the class will be encouraged to do so.
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