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All Outputs (6)

Ability, Relevant Possibilities, and the Fixity of the Past (2021)
Journal Article
Mackie, P. (2022). Ability, Relevant Possibilities, and the Fixity of the Past. Philosophical Studies, 179, 1873-1892. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-021-01736-8

In several writings, John Martin Fischer has argued that those who deny a principle about abilities that he calls ‘the Fixity of the Past’ are committed to absurd conclusions concerning practical reasoning. I argue that Fischer’s ‘practical rationali... Read More about Ability, Relevant Possibilities, and the Fixity of the Past.

Perception, Mind-Independence, and Berkeley (2019)
Journal Article
Mackie, P. (2020). Perception, Mind-Independence, and Berkeley. Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 98(3), 449-464. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048402.2019.1648532

I discuss a thesis that I call 'The Appearance of Mind-Independence', to the effect that, to the subject of an ordinary perceptual experience, it seems that the experience involves the awareness of a mind-independent world. Although this thesis appea... Read More about Perception, Mind-Independence, and Berkeley.

Compatibilism, indeterminism, and chance (2018)
Journal Article
Mackie, P. (2018). Compatibilism, indeterminism, and chance. Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement, 82, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1358246118000140

Many contemporary compatibilists about free will and determinism are agnostic about whether determinism is true, yet do not doubt that we have free will. They are thus committed to the thesis that free will is compatible with both determinism and ind... Read More about Compatibilism, indeterminism, and chance.

Mumford and Anjum on incompatibilism, powers and determinism (2014)
Journal Article
Mackie, P. (2014). Mumford and Anjum on incompatibilism, powers and determinism. Analysis, 74(4), https://doi.org/10.1093/analys/anu088

Mumford and Anjum (2014) present a new argument for the incompatibility of free will and causal determinism. Although their argument depends on the assumption that free will is, or is the exercise of, a causal power, it does not appeal to any special... Read More about Mumford and Anjum on incompatibilism, powers and determinism.