Observatoire des droits humains (anglais seulement)

Do we have free will – and do we want it? Thomas the Tank Engine offers clues

(Version anglaise seulement)

par Matyáš Moravec, Gifford Postdoctoral Fellow in Philosophy, University of St Andrews

Are we free or are our actions determined by the laws of physics? And how much free will do we actually want? These questions have troubled philosophers for millennia – and there are still no perfect answers.

But it turns out that a character from a children’s TV series can provide a clue. Thomas the Tank Engine, despite being a locomotive, behaves like a human. He makes decisions and choices. And he is morally responsible: when he does something…

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