Philosophy 76 (298):491-514 (2001)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
The problem of free will arises because of the conflict between two inconsistent impulses, the experience of freedom and the conviction of determinism. Perhaps we can resolve these by examining neurobiological correlates of the experience of freedom. If free will is not to be an illusion, it must have a corresponding neurobiological reality. An explanation of this issue leads us to an account of rationality and the self, as well as how consciousness can move bodies at all. I explore two hypotheses. On the first, freedom is a complete illusion. On the second, it is not an illusion, and there is a corresponding indeterminism at the neurobiological level. This can only occur if there is in fact a quantum mechanical element in the fundamental neurobiology of consciousness.
|
Keywords | Belief Free Will Neurobiology Philosophy Science |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
DOI | 10.1017/S0031819101000535 |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
No references found.
Citations of this work BETA
Skepticism About Moral Responsibility.Gregg D. Caruso - 2018 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2018):1-81.
Frankfurt-Style Counterexamples and Begging the Question.Stewart Goetz - 2005 - Midwest Studies in Philosophy 29 (1):83-105.
The Origin of Agency, Consciousness, and Free Will.J. H. van Hateren - 2015 - Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 14 (4):979-1000.
What Are Self-Generated Actions?Friederike Schüür & Patrick Haggard - 2011 - Consciousness and Cognition 20 (4):1697-1704.
Experiencing Organisms: From Mineness to Subject of Experience.Tobias Schlicht - 2018 - Philosophical Studies 175 (10):2447-2474.
View all 18 citations / Add more citations
Similar books and articles
Free Will.Saul Smilansky - 1999 - The Proceedings of the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy 1999:143-152.
Neurobiology, Neuroimaging, and Free Will.Walter Glannon - 2005 - Midwest Studies in Philosophy 29 (1):68-82.
Consciousness, Free Action and the Brain.John R. Searle - 2000 - Journal of Consciousness Studies 7 (10):3-22.
Free Will: From Nature to Illusion.Saul Smilansky - 2001 - Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 101 (1):71-95.
Free Will: The Positive Role of Illusion.Saul Smilansky - 1999 - In The Proceedings of the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy. Bowling Green: Philosophy Doc Ctr. pp. 143-152.
The End of the Empty Organism: Neurobiology and the Sciences of Human Action.Elliott White - 1992 - Praeger.
Review: John R. Searle: Freedom and Neurobiology: Reflections on Free Will, Language, and Political Power. [REVIEW]Markus E. Schlosser - 2008 - Mind 117 (468):1127-1130.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2009-01-28
Total views
609 ( #13,746 of 2,518,001 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
7 ( #100,823 of 2,518,001 )
2009-01-28
Total views
609 ( #13,746 of 2,518,001 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
7 ( #100,823 of 2,518,001 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads