RELIGION AND MORALITY 319A classic analysis of this sort of freedom goes like this: Jane is free in
lying to John at time T if and only if (i) Jane lies to John at T, (ii) Jane
wanted to lie to John at T, and (iii) Jane’s lying is caused by her wanting to.
Let us say that if Jane and her lying are related as (i) through (iii) indicate,
Jane’s lying is congenial. This serves to emphasize that the relevant action
chain contains states of Jane that are at least a partial cause of Jane’s lying
to John, where those states on the whole incline toward rather than against
lying.
Here, then, is part of one compatibilist positive story regarding Jane’s
freely lying to John at time T:
Jane’s lying to John at time T is a free action entails Jane lied to
John at T, An action chain that includes Jane’s lying to John at T
passes through Jane, and Jane’s lying to John at T is (in the sense
defined) congenial to Jane.This is compatible with Jane’s not liking to do it, but liking any other
alternative still less.
If Jim has hypnotized Jane to lie, puts a gun to her head to make her lie,
or the like, John coerces Jane to lie. If Jane is related to her lying as a
kleptomaniac to stealing, Jane is a compulsive liar. Suppose neither of these
is the case; then Jane’s lying is neither coerced nor compulsed. Thus far we
have at least a fairly complete positive story – one that includes at least a
great deal of what is available to such an account:
Jane’s lying to John at T is a free action entails Jane lied to John
at T, an action chain that includes Jane’s lying to John at T
passes through Jane, Jane’s lying to John at T is (in the sense
defined) congenial to Jane, and At T, Jane is neither coerced nor
compulsed to lie to John.The negative story
If this is (one compatibilist version of) the positive story, there is also a
compatibilist account of the availability to Jane of not lying to John at time
T. If her not lying is just plain not available to her, then her lying isn’t a
free action.
Jane’s not lying is not logically impossible; it is, in that sense, logically
available. It is not against the laws of nature; it is, in that sense, naturally
available. It is within her capacity in the sense that she knows what a lie is
and what she will say to John if she lies and she knows how to say those
words, she is not dumb or paralyzed, she has whatever range of cognitive,