Nowell-Smith as "our free-will man"

by JLS
for the Grice Club


Nowell-Smith, P. H. (1948). Free will and responsibility. Mind.
--- Determinists and libertarians. Mind 63.317-337.
--- Ifs and cans. Theoria, repr. in Berofsky.

As Nowell-Smith's obituary read, he was overwhelmed by Austin and Grice. He was a fellow of Trinity, while at Oxford. He participated actively in Austin's group.

So, I would think that rather than Flew, it was Nowell-Smith (as per his earlier 1948) who was the first to challenge that view fashionable from Vienna that free-will is a pseudoproblem.

His first Mind essay "Free will and moral responsibility" has to be read with caution.

This later piece may be more elucidatory.

The fact that he later became infamous for criticising Austin's "Ifs and cans" did not help his reputation in Oxford. That reply to Austin is reprinted in Berofsky.