'Oedipus The King' By Kane: Libertarianism And Free Will

Having free will is something perceived as having the freedom to choose and making your own decisions. Aristotle defines free will based on voluntary or involuntary actions and whether these actions hold us responsible. Kane defines free will as something that we have the power to choose, but if it is something controlled by the gods then there is no free will. Even if the decisions are made out of free will or are predetermined, the decisions that are made can still influence our actions. Aristotle would hold Oedipus responsible for killing Laios because he chose to kill him based on the voluntary actions. While Kane would also hold him responsible but would argue that he is not entirely responsible for his actions since his fate was predetermined

He questions whether or not free will is compatible with determinism (Coe, Kane: Libertarianism and Free Will). But also why we seem to believe that free will within indeterminism is just pure randomness (Coe, Kane: Libertarianism and Free Will). Kane would hold Oedipus responsible for his actions but not entirely since his fate was determined by the gods. Kane would argue that since his fate was determined by something supernatural he had no free will. Free will, is to have the ability to make your own decisions. "the power to be the ultimate creator and sustainer of some of one's own ends or purposes." (Free Will, 269). In this case, Oedipus had no choice because it was already written that he was going to kill his father, Laios. Kane also defines free will as something that does not need alternate possibilities, since the person does not have the power to change the past or have control over the laws of nature (Free Will, 270). But, in order to be held responsible for an action Kane believes that there has to be a motive, "To be ultimately responsible for an action, an agent must be responsible for anything that is a sufficient reason (condition, cause, or motive) for the action's occurring." (Free Will, 271). For Oedipus to kill Laios he must have had a reason, which was to save his people and he was blinded by his passion for power. So, Kane would hold Oedipus responsible for killing Laios because he had a reason to do so, but he would also argue that it was not entirely his fault. Since Oedipus fate was already determined by the gods, then he did not have free will but did have alternate possibilities. In order for Oedipus to be able to kill Laios, he needed a reason why. Since everything else was already determined for Oedipus so was his reasons from killing Laios. Kane would conclude that Oedipus merely acted upon freedom of action but not free will (Coe, Kane: Libertarianism