Bullet Biting and Beyond

Abstract

Compatibilists who reject even the modest externalist theses defended thus far in this book seem to be stuck biting some extremely hard bullets. A question about bullet biting is this chapter’s focus. It is roughly this: When should compatibilists about moral responsibility bite the bullet in responding to stories used in arguments for incompatibilism about moral responsibility or in arguments for theses that typical compatibilists would reject? The question is clarified, and a partial answer is offered. Thought experiments discussed include radical reversal stories and original-design stories. John Fischer’s response to an argument based on an original-design story—the zygote argument—receives close critical attention.