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Comparing Ayer's Essay 'Freedom And Necessity'

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Ayer agrees that we can only be morally responsible for voluntary actions which is an absence of constraint. An action done is only done because of the motives the person has. The motives themselves are caused by things out of our control in which he simply states “We could not have acted otherwise”. His essay “Freedom and Necessity” makes a solid distinction between what is considered causes and what is considered constraints. Ayer says that freedom is a constraint, that a person who acts without constraint is a person who is acting under their own free will. Ayer believes that once you acknowledge your freewill, it is no longer free. He believes it should be in your unconscious. Once you think to yourself I am acting on free will, you no

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