Abstract

Assume that, even with a time machine, Tim does not have the ability to travel to the past and kill Grandfather. Why would that be? And what are the implications for traditional debates about freedom? We argue that there are at least two satisfactory explanations for why Tim cannot kill Grandfather. First, if an agent’s behavior at time t is causally dependent on fact F, then the agent cannot perform an action (at t) that would require F to have not obtained. Second, if an agent’s behavior at time t is causally dependent on fact F, then the agent cannot perform an action (at t) that would prevent F from obtaining. These two explanations have distinct upshots for more traditional debates over freedom. The first implies that causal determinism is incompatible with the ability to do otherwise and also raises questions about the traditional arguments for the incompatibility of divine foreknowledge and the ability to do otherwise; the second does neither. However, both explanations imply that the Molinist account of divine providence renders agents unable to do otherwise, at least in certain circumstances.

Highlights

  • If we reject Fixity of the Past (FP), what accounts for Tim’s inability in this case? Without an account, there is always the danger that whatever kernel of truth there is in FP will be enough to establish the incompatibility of freedom with causal determinism and foreknowledge

  • One could reject our case for Fixity of the Causal Past (FCP)-B* and No Self-undermining Actions (NSA) and insist that Adam could have refrained from eating the fruit

  • Where has our starting assumption led us? First, if we are correct, the right way to think about the fixity of the past is in terms of causation, rather than time

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Summary

Introduction

Tim despises Grandfather and desires nothing more than to kill him. He builds a time machine, travels back to a time before his grandparents first met, and approaches Grandfather on the street, gun in hand, hatred in his heart.. Many people are inclined to think not This thought plays a key role in one of the most common arguments against the possibility of time travel: if time travel were possible, a person like Tim could retroactively kill his grandfather. We will focus on two questions: (i) If Tim cannot kill Grandfather, what is the best explanation for this fact? Regarding question (i), we will argue that there are at least two plausible explanations for why Tim cannot kill Grandfather.

You Cannot Do the Impossible conditions of the Creative Commons
You Cannot Do Anything Incompatible with the Past
You Cannot Do Anything Incompatible with Your Causal Past
You Cannot Do Anything Incompatible with the Causal Past of Your Behavior
You Cannot Do Anything That Would Be Self-Undermining
Conclusions
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