1. By the end of today’s lesson you will:
Be able to define ‘Libertarianism’.
Understand how the concept of Libertarianism is supported in:
Philosophy
Science
Psychology

2. Spec Check – Component 3: Ethics Theme 4: Determinism and Free Will
AO1 – Knowledge and Understanding
AO2 – Issues for Analysis and Evaluation
E - Concepts of libertarianism:
philosophical (Jean Paul Sartre: man is not free not to be free)
scientific (Angela Sirigu: free floating DNA in the brain allows for free will)
psychological (Carl Rogers: humanist approach, self-actualisation).
The extent to which an individual has free choice.
The extent to which philosophical, scientific and/or psychological views on libertarianism inevitably lead people to accept libertarianism.

3. What is Libertarianism?
A philosophy which holds that human beings are free, have free will and that determinism is false.

4. What is Libertarianism?
To explain libertarianism, Peter Van Inwagen uses the analogy of choosing which branch to go down when travelling along a road, whereas determinism is like travelling along a road with no branches – we cannot choose a different way or reach a different destination.

5. Key Features of Libertarianism
Humans are morally responsible for their actions.
Human behaviour cannot always be predicted.
Rewards and punishments are meaningful and fair.

6. Libertarianism
Libertarians do accept the principle of universal causation; what they deny is that this principle applies to human behaviour.
Robert Bowie: “In my moral behaviour I am autonomous.”

7. Support for Libertarianism
These arguments can be used in response to the AO2 issue: ‘The extent to which an individual has free choice.’
PEAK
Personality and moral self
Experience free will
Act of decision making
Knowledge - contingent and necessary truth
PEA is straight forward.
PEAK is more challenging – Aim High – Stand out from the crowd!

8. Personality and Moral Self
Rough neighbourhood
Poor
Aggressive
Angry
Broken home
Abuse
Untrustworthy
Selfish
Zoe
Bad education
Environment / Upbringing
Personality

9. Personality and Moral Self
Zoe is hungry. She enters a newsagent and there are no staff visible.
Based on her personality and upbringing, what would you expect Zoe to do?
However, sometimes one’s ‘moral self’ kicks in.
The moral self can counteract the tendencies of one’s personality.
Libertarians argue that a moral agent can choose to act despite past events, conditioning and biological influence. This demonstrates free will.
Vardy: “We are influenced by our backgrounds, genetics, etc, but we are not wholly determined by these factors.”

10. How might a hard determinist respond?
If it is admitted that my personality may be determined by such things as heredity and environment, why is it not also accepted by the libertarian that my moral attitudes may be conditioned in precisely the same way?
Why is it agreed that a person is free to choose between duty and desire but not free in any other choices that he or she makes?
The libertarian has assumed the existence of free will in situations of moral choice but has provided no evidence for it.

11. Experience of Free Will
Each of us frequently has the direct and certain experience of being a self-determining creature.
E.g. We experience free will in deciding to drink tea rather than coffee.
Even when there are limits to our freedom, there are sufficient other experiences to sustain a belief in free will.
E.g.?
E.g. Alcoholic can experience deciding to go on holiday etc.

12. Act of Decision-Making
Read this section in your booklet.
Answer the question.
Explain to your partner the argument in no more than two sentences.
Discussion: Is it a valid argument?
Read the determinist response. Which view do you think is stronger and why?

13. Recap – PEA!

14. Knowledge Contingent and Necessary Truth
Read the statements from the two lists.
What is the difference?
Can you define the terms ‘necessarily true’ and ‘contingently true’?

15. Knowledge Contingent and Necessary Truth
Necessarily true
True by definition
E.g. “A bachelor is an unmarried man.”
Contingently true
Verified by empirical evidence / sense experiences.
May be conceivably false (given that these experiences may deceive me)
E.g. “George has one eye.”
Complete the exercise in your workbook.

16. Knowledge Contingent and Necessary Truth
Libertarians argue for freewill based on our experience of freewill.
However, freewill is a contingent truth.
This means that it COULD be false (because our senses might have deceived us).
Determinists could say, therefore, that our belief in (based on our experience of ) freewill DOESN’T mean that freewill actually exists for definite.
A libertarian would respond, however, that if we are to reject freewill based on its contingency, we must reject ALL contingent truths.
This would be, they say, absurd.
Therefore, we can say with reasonable and sufficient evidence, that freewill does indeed exist.

17. Recap - PEAK AO2 Discussion: “An individual has complete free will.”
Person A: Put forward an AGREE argument. (This could be from PEAK, Pelagius or Arminius.)
Person B: Challenge the argument. (Use your K&U from hard determinism, soft determinism and predestination.)
Note: Keep the above AO2 statement in mind as we now go on to learn about specific philosophical, scientific and psychological support for libertarianism.

18. Philosophical Libertarianism - Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
French existentialist philosopher
Read Sartre’s view on libertarianism in your workbook.
Highlight/underline key ideas.
Evaluate his argument.

19. Sartre – Quiz, Quiz, Trade
In what century did Sartre live?
Why, according to Sartre, does there being no God mean we’re free?
Complete this quote from Sartre: “He cannot escape …”
What, according to Sartre, does absolute freedom equate to?
How does Sartre think humanity’s freedom is obvious?
Why do we try to avoid the reality of our freedom?
What does Sartre mean by ‘bad faith’?
Name two things humans try to convince themselves they’re determined by.
How does the café waiter demonstrate ‘bad faith’?
Complete this quote from Sartre: “Man is not free …”

20. Sartre – Test In what century did Sartre live?
Why, according to Sartre, does there being no God mean we’re free?
Complete this quote from Sartre: “He cannot escape …”
What, according to Sartre, does absolute freedom equate to?
How does Sartre think humanity’s freedom is obvious?

21. Sartre – Test Why do we try to avoid the reality of our freedom?
What does Sartre mean by ‘bad faith’?
Name two things humans try to convince themselves they’re determined by.
How does the café waiter demonstrate ‘bad faith’?
Complete this quote from Sartre: “Man is not free …”

22. Learning check … By the end of today’s lesson you will:
Be able to define ‘Libertarianism’.
Understand how the concept of Libertarianism is supported in:
Philosophy
Science
Psychology

23. Scientific Libertarianism – Dr Sirigu
Dr Angela Sirigu
1956 – still alive!
Researcher in neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience.
Tasks:
Read the top of p76.
Explain how Dr Sirigu’s research supports libertarianism in no more than three sentences.

24. Learning check … By the end of today’s lesson you will:
Be able to define ‘Libertarianism’.
Understand how the concept of Libertarianism is supported in:
Philosophy
Science
Psychology

25. Psychological Libertarianism - Rogers
Carl Rogers
American humanist psychologist.
Tasks:
Read p76-77.
Answer this question in no more than three sentences: What is ‘self-actualisation’ and how does it support libertarianism?

26. Learning check … By the end of today’s lesson you will:
Be able to define ‘Libertarianism’.
Understand how the concept of Libertarianism is supported in:
Philosophy
Science
Psychology

27. AO1 Write Up Examine the concept of libertarianism. [20 marks] PEEL
Point – make a point
Explain – explain that point
Evidence /examples – provide evidence / examples to support the point. (Scholars ideas/quotes/analogies are good to use here)
Link – link to the question and the paragraph which follows
You must:
Define libertarianism
Give examples that support libertarianism from
Philosophy
Science
Psychology
Refer to scholars
Use specialist vocabulary
Include quotes where appropriate.