Although I upvoted the article for your analysis, I don’t feel that the counter-argument based on goodness is the strongest one can make. Imagine that it is indeed good to believe in the correct metaphysical setup: still, you cannot derive that you should practically believe in libertarian free will, unless you have a way to distinguish from the inside how it feels to have libertarian free will from having deterministic free will, something that is probably impossible, or that even when you have deterministic free will is better to believe that you have libertarian free will.
If I understand you correctly, you are saying that it does not follow that you should believe in libertarian free will, unless you can tell by looking at yourself that you in fact have libertarian free will.
I agree. But that is because the argument does not work. The argument would say, “If I try to believe that I have libertarian free will, I might get some benefit, just in the case where I actually have it. But I cannot cause any harm by trying to believe that I have libertarian free will, even if I don’t have it, because if I don’t, I am not causing myself to believe this, but the initial conditions are causing me to believe it.”
This is why I posted it in the context of the Smoking Lesion, where the argument against EDT is, “If I choose to smoke, I might get some benefit, namely smoking. But I cannot cause any harm by smoking, even if my choice is caused by the lesion, because if the lesion makes me smoke, I am not causing myself to smoke, but the initial conditions are causing me to smoke.”
But I cannot cause any harm by trying to believe that I have libertarian free will, even if I don’t have it, because if I don’t, I am not causing myself to believe this, but the initial conditions are causing me to believe it.”
True, but in that case you’re not showing that your belief is justified, and the argument becomes just stating a preference.
Although I upvoted the article for your analysis, I don’t feel that the counter-argument based on goodness is the strongest one can make.
Imagine that it is indeed good to believe in the correct metaphysical setup: still, you cannot derive that you should practically believe in libertarian free will, unless you have a way to distinguish from the inside how it feels to have libertarian free will from having deterministic free will, something that is probably impossible, or that even when you have deterministic free will is better to believe that you have libertarian free will.
If I understand you correctly, you are saying that it does not follow that you should believe in libertarian free will, unless you can tell by looking at yourself that you in fact have libertarian free will.
I agree. But that is because the argument does not work. The argument would say, “If I try to believe that I have libertarian free will, I might get some benefit, just in the case where I actually have it. But I cannot cause any harm by trying to believe that I have libertarian free will, even if I don’t have it, because if I don’t, I am not causing myself to believe this, but the initial conditions are causing me to believe it.”
This is why I posted it in the context of the Smoking Lesion, where the argument against EDT is, “If I choose to smoke, I might get some benefit, namely smoking. But I cannot cause any harm by smoking, even if my choice is caused by the lesion, because if the lesion makes me smoke, I am not causing myself to smoke, but the initial conditions are causing me to smoke.”
True, but in that case you’re not showing that your belief is justified, and the argument becomes just stating a preference.