summary of Freedom and Resentment, and Other Essays by P. F. Strawson:

P. F. Strawson’s Freedom and Resentment, and Other Essays is a collection of influential papers that together showcase his distinctive contributions to moral philosophy, metaphysics, and the philosophy of mind. The title essay, “Freedom and Resentment” (1962), is one of the most important works in twentieth-century moral philosophy, where Strawson shifts the debate on free will and moral responsibility away from abstract metaphysical questions about determinism and instead toward the interpersonal practices that structure human life. He argues that our moral responsibility is grounded in what he calls “reactive attitudes” — emotions like resentment, gratitude, forgiveness, and indignation — which arise naturally in relationships and form the basis of our moral practices. Rather than seeking a metaphysical proof of free will, Strawson shows that these attitudes are so deeply embedded in human life that skepticism about responsibility cannot undermine them without distorting our very sense of humanity. The rest of the essays expand on central themes in Strawson’s philosophy: the nature of truth and reference, the logic of moral discourse, the role of skepticism in philosophy, and the limits of abstract theorizing when divorced from ordinary human practices. Throughout, Strawson displays his characteristic clarity and balance, resisting both overly scientific reductions of human experience and excessively abstract metaphysical speculation. The collection as a whole reveals his deep concern with how philosophy connects to lived experience, how moral life is sustained by our natural human responses, and how clarity about these practices can dissolve longstanding philosophical puzzles. By reframing debates about freedom, responsibility, and morality, Freedom and Resentment, and Other Essays has left a lasting legacy and remains a cornerstone of contemporary analytic philosophy.