The problem here is that you’re using undefined words all over the place. That’s why this is confusing. Examples:
“how would a compatibilist explain why the mentally insane (or hypnotized etc.) are not morally responsible?”
What is ‘morally’ in this context? What’s the objective, “down at the quantum mechanical state function level” definition of ‘moral’?
What exactly do you mean by ‘responsible’?
“would a compatibilist think that a computer programmed with a chess-playing algorithm has free will or is responsible for its decisions?”
What is a ‘decision’ here? Does that concept even apply to algorithms?
What does ‘free will’ mean here? Does ‘free will’ even make sense in this context?
“how about animals? Do they have free will? Is my dog in any sense “responsible” for peeing on the carpet?”
Again, same questions: What do you mean by ‘free will’? What do you mean by ‘responsible’? The definitions you choose, are they objective, based on the territory, or are they labels on the map that we’re free to reassign as we see fit?
The rest of the post continues in a similar vein. You’re running into issues because you’re confusing the words for being the reality, and saying “hey, these words don’t match up”. That’s not a problem with reality; that’s a problem with the words.
My advice would be to remember that ultimately, at the bottom of physics, there’s only particles/forces/fields/probabilities—and nowhere in the rules governing physics is there a fundamental force for ‘free will’ or a particle for ‘responsibility’.
The problem here is that you’re using undefined words all over the place. That’s why this is confusing. Examples:
“how would a compatibilist explain why the mentally insane (or hypnotized etc.) are not morally responsible?”
What is ‘morally’ in this context? What’s the objective, “down at the quantum mechanical state function level” definition of ‘moral’?
What exactly do you mean by ‘responsible’?
“would a compatibilist think that a computer programmed with a chess-playing algorithm has free will or is responsible for its decisions?”
What is a ‘decision’ here? Does that concept even apply to algorithms?
What does ‘free will’ mean here? Does ‘free will’ even make sense in this context?
“how about animals? Do they have free will? Is my dog in any sense “responsible” for peeing on the carpet?”
Again, same questions: What do you mean by ‘free will’? What do you mean by ‘responsible’? The definitions you choose, are they objective, based on the territory, or are they labels on the map that we’re free to reassign as we see fit?
The rest of the post continues in a similar vein. You’re running into issues because you’re confusing the words for being the reality, and saying “hey, these words don’t match up”. That’s not a problem with reality; that’s a problem with the words.
My advice would be to remember that ultimately, at the bottom of physics, there’s only particles/forces/fields/probabilities—and nowhere in the rules governing physics is there a fundamental force for ‘free will’ or a particle for ‘responsibility’.
Nor is there a “toothbrush”. You are confusing physicalism with mereological nihilism.