24.00: Problems of Philosophy Prof. Sally Haslanger October 31, 2001 Freewill: Hard Determinism 1. What is our investment in freewill? Not just a sentimental attachment: At the root of how we organize our own lives(deliberation matters). At the root of how we interact with others(presupposed by praise and blame, punishment)

1. Whatever happens is determined by prior events. (Determinism) 2. I act freely iff I am able to act otherwise. (Avoidability Analysis of Freedom) 3. If my action is determined, am unable to act otherwise. 4. So, I never act freely. I. Consider(1): Determinism:

Moral Relativism The problem of moral relativism begins with the fact of moral diversity: different cultures have different moral codes. Of course,it' s not just between different national cultures that moral opinions differ the same can happen between different subcultures of the same national culture. What does this show? Consider: Moral diversity: Different cultures have different moral codes/values. Does it even follow that: Moral conflict: Different cultures have conflicting moral codes/values

Utilitarianism Last time we considered three questions one might ask an ethical theory to answer i)Which acts are right and which are wrong? Which acts ought we to perform(understanding the\ought as a moral ii)What makes a particular action right or wrong? What is it about the action that determines its moral status? 111) How do we know what is right and wrong? There are a variety of strategies for answering(iii). One might hold e. g. that moral truths are revealed by god and

November 21, 2001 Ethical Egoism Here are three questions (of course there are others)we might want an ethical theory to answer for us: i)Which acts are right and which are wrong? Which acts ought we to perform(understandir the\ought\ as moral \ought\)? ii)What makes a particular action right or wrong? What is it about the action that determines its moral status? ii)How do we know what is right and wrong? Remember that according to relativism, whether an action is right or wrong

Particularism and virtue ethics I. Universalism and Particularism We've considered before some basic questions that we would expect a moral theory to answer i)Which acts are right and which are wrong? Which acts ought we to perform(understanding the\ought\as a moral

Why Statistical Mechanics? Understand predict the physical properties of macroscopic systems from the properties of their constituents Deterministic approach ma F need of 6n coordinates at t: r: and v but typically n= moles (1023)! Ensemble?rather than microscopic detail and its surroundings microcanonical, canonical, grand canonical

a B: The second Law of Thermodynamics [AW 42-50: VN Chapter 5; VwB&S-6.3, 6.4, Chapter 7 1. B. Concept and statements of the Second law why do we need a second law?) The unrestrained expansion, or the temperature equilibration of the two bricks, are familiar

PARTO- PRELUDE: REVIEW OF UNIFIED ENGINEERING THERMODYNAMICS [AW pp 2-22, 32-41(see IAW for detailed SB&vw references): VN Chapter 1] 0.1 What it's all about The focus of thermodynamics in 16.050 is on the production of work, often in the form of kinetic energy(for example in the exhaust of a jet engine)or shaft power

What do you think the eigenvectors of the element stiff- ness matrix represent? 1. a basis in which the stiffness matrix would be diago- nal (if rotated to that basis) 2. a set of nodal displacements for the element corre-