Compatibilism
Philosophical debate on freedom and responsibility
Compatibilism holds that freedom or responsibility can coexist with determinism.
Historical context
The discussion has roots in ancient theories of action and modern philosophy. In contemporary debate, competing accounts analyse responsibility through capacities for control and responsiveness to reasons.
Overview
Two actions may have sufficient causes and differ in who exercises control. Someone can act for reasons they recognise as their own or under a threat that changes their options. For compatibilism that difference can matter even in a deterministic world.
Main claims
A free action can have determining causes if the theory’s conditions for agency are met.
Freedom and causation
Determinism and free will are compatible in the sense specified by each theory.
Interpretation for comparison · Compatibilism · Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Debates and nuances
Compatibilist theories disagree about the capacities or causal relationships that make an act free.
This entry provides educational context.