The Libertarian Self

Carlo Filice

I mainly propose a solution to the puzzle: How can a libertarian, self-moving, substantial self play a non-arbitrary and independent role in choice-making?   My solution is to equip this self with built-in motives; but in such a way that these multiple motives will not enslave the self (so as to avoid determinism). The breadth, multiplicity, and rough parity of such motives permit, I believe, the self to act non-arbitrarily, yet freely. In the last section I outline some reasons why this libertarian model is preferable to non-agent-causal libertarian models, such as Kane.