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person1970s-present

Gary Watson

Disciplines:
ethics
philosophy of action
philosophy/free will

Summary

American philosopher who has made influential contributions to the philosophy of free will and moral responsibility — developing the valuing theory of free agency.

Core Contribution

Free Agency (1975): free action requires acting from what one values — distinguishing desires (motivational system) from values (evaluational system); freedom is alignment between these. Agency and Answerability: essays on moral responsibility. Contributed to the reactive attitudes approach to moral responsibility following Strawson.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • Free Agency introduced the crucial distinction between the motivational and evaluational systems — showing that Frankfurt's hierarchical account fails because having second-order desires doesn't guarantee freedom unless those desires reflect what one genuinely values.

Notable Works & Achievements

Free Agency

Agency and Answerability

Historical Influences

P.F. Strawson Harry Frankfurt

Intellectual Lineage

Analytic Ethics Free Will Studies

Contemporaries & Peers

Harry Frankfurt Susan Wolf

Minds Influenced

Free Will Research

Intellectual Posterity

Valuing Theory of Free Agency

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