Free Will
Ratings40
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings40
Average rating3.9
[Free Will][1] is a 2012 book by the American author and neuroscientist Sam Harris. Harris argues that the truth about the human mind (that free will is an illusion) does not undermine morality or diminish the importance of political and social freedom, and can as well as should change the way we think about some of the most important questions in life.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Will_(book)
Reviews with the most likes.
This, along with Lying by Sam Harris have given my brain firmware upgrade.
I listened to the audiobook version of this twice today and I think I'm going to buy the Kindle version so that I can highlight passages and make notes. Also, I think I need to go through and read this more carefully in order to better contemplate Harris's argument.
His objection to the claim of free will seems to be the combination of several premises:
1) We live in a causal universe.
2) Our bodies including our neural processes are all subject to causality as well.
3) It's not possible to consciously know and control all the biological factors that go into our decisions.
Therefore, what we subjectively experience as “free will” or acts of choice actually arise deterministically and are beyond our actual control.
I won't get into all the arguments and counter-arguments here. I also think it's important to remember that the burden of proof is actually on those who claim that free will exists. I don't like Harris's choice of definition of what free will is and what the requirements are, but I assume he came upon those honestly when he chose to present this counter-argument to the claim. I do wish, though, he had given more lengthy treatment to the compatibalist arguments on the topic.
This is an interesting read and there are a number of challenging and thought-provoking ideas in this book. Also, it's a very short read.
