The concept of a person is hard to describe because humans share many similar qualities with other animals, but what separates us from the rest? As Frankfurt describes in “Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person, defining what makes a person is tricky because people often overlook the importance of this philosophical question. Frankfurt believes “Humans are not alone in having desires and motives” (6), but what we have that other creatures don’t are “second-order desires”.
Frankfurt describes his concept of a person by emphasizing the ability humans have to self-evaluate our desires, which ultimately allows us to have second-order desires. Apart from second-order desires, there are also effective and non-effective first-order desires. Because first-order desires, the want to do one thing or another, are not specific to just humans, second-order desires are the defining characteristic of a person. What makes a desire of the second order is the idea of an individual being able to recognize their want of a desire or their want for a desire to be effective. Frankfurt feels that a person employs their will when they have second-order desires.
examples of first-order desires:
- effective 1st-order~ I desire to write this blog. (I am writing this blog)
- non-effective 1st-order~ I have the desire to sleep in late everyday. (but I won’t)
examples of both second-order desires:
- desire for first-order desire~ I want the desire to wake up earlier in the morning.
- desire for effective first-order~ I want the desire to finish my assignments to be effective.
I feel like it is useful looking at second-order desires as our way of having freedom. Having the ability to choose our desires and evaluating our own wants is like being able to control our lives. If a person’s will comes from self-evaluation and the want for our choices to be effective, then I think Frankfurt’s interpretation of the human condition is beneficial. Being fixated on the idea that we need free will in order to feel content with our lives is too overwhelming.
“When we ask whether a person’s will is free we are not asking whether he is in a position to translate his first-order desires into actions. That is the question of whether he is free to do as he pleases” (15). By Frankfurt’s standards, I am free. Choosing what decision I want to make and having the freedom to make those desires come true is being free. In relation to Frankfurt’s position on how determinism effects his idea of freedom, I agree with his thoughts. He thinks that it’s possible that something causes a person to enjoy or use their ability to choose what they want to do, and it’s possible there is some other factor involved in our freedom. He kind of leaves the ideas of determinism and fate open-ended, but I like that he doesn’t just completely disregard the concepts, and allows for the reader to decide what to accept as true.
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a few thoughts... 
You have a clear concept of the message that Frankfurt is telling us. I enjoyed reading his idea of what separates us from other creatures is the fact that we can self-evaluate while others cannot. Animals cannot decide what is right or wrong, they act on pure instinct. I also agree with your idea of Frankfurt being an open-minded person.
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