Abstract
This book is an attempt to ask various questions and give certain possible answers about the concept of ‘free will’, which is one of the greatest problems in almost all fields of philosophy. Campbell's basic argument is derived from free-will scepticism, which denies the free-will thesis in the sense that we have the ability to do otherwise or that it is up to us. Instead, Campbell takes the view that people are agents and it is only their actions that are up to them. However, he also discusses what would be the case if someone did have free will.
Thus the five substantive chapters are dedicated to evaluating free will in terms of such concepts as: fatalism (rejecting free will); scepticism (where both the epistemic and metaphysical forms doubt the existence of free will); time and truth (considering opposite views of presentism and eternalism); foreknowledge (believing in God's complete knowledge of the future and so conceiving free will as an illusion); determinism (showing that no-one has free will); moral responsibility (based on the existence of free will); compatibilism (claiming the togetherness of free will and determinism); incompatibilism (viewing the free-will thesis as clashing with the thesis of determinism); and libertarianism (denying determinism and endorsing the freewill thesis).
Since the book comprises an overview of the most relevant aspects of free will, it can be viewed as an introduction to the topic in general. However, it also deals with the problem of free will at very complex levels, moving between religion and theories of knowledge, logic and science. Therefore the book will be of interest to those just starting to learn about the concept of free will and also for those interested in a deeper reading.
Joseph Campbell certainly succeeds in covering most of the problems, arguments and theories about the concept of free will and therefore this is a well-written work which offers a real contribution to contemporary philosophy. However, the book does not include or discuss the problem of consciousness, which I feel is an omission, since – as far as we know – consciousness is at the centre of discussions of free will, determinism, freedom and responsibility.