Neurophilosophy of Free Will: From Libertarian Illusions to a Concept of Natural Autonomy

Description

Walter applies the methodology of neurophilosophy to one of philosophy's central challenges, the notion of free will. Neurophilosophical conclusions are based on, and consistent with, scientific knowledge about the brain and its functioning. Neuroscientists routinely investigate such classical philosophical topics as consciousness, thought, language, meaning, aesthetics, and death. According to Henrik Walter, philosophers should in turn embrace the wealth of research findings and ideas provided by neuroscience. In this book Walter applies the methodology of neurophilosophy to one of philosophy's central challenges, the notion of free will. Neurophilosophical conclusions are based on, and consistent with, scientific knowledge about the brain and its functioning. Walter's answer to whether there is free will is, It depends. The basic questions concerning free will are (1) whether we are able to choose other than we actually do, (2) whether our choices are made intelligibly, and (3) whether we are really the originators of our choices. According to Walter, freedom of will is an illusion if we mean by it that under identical conditions we would be able to do or decide otherwise, while simultaneously acting only for reasons and being the true originators of our actions. In place of this scientifically untenable strong version of free will, Walter offers what he calls natural autonomy—self-determination unaided by supernatural powers that could exist even in an entirely determined universe. Although natural autonomy can support neither our traditional concept of guilt nor certain cherished illusions about ourselves, it does not imply the abandonment of all concepts of responsibility. For we are not mere marionettes, with no influence over our thoughts or actions.

Get the book

Amazon.com

Search the book

eBay.com

Search the book

Similar books

• 

  Free Will: Philosophers and Neuroscientists in Conversation

  By Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Uri Maoz

  What is free will? Can it exist in a determined universe? How can we determine who, if anyone, possesses it? Philosophers have debated the extent of human free will for millennia.

• 

  Brain-Wise: Studies in Neurophilosophy

  By Patricia S. Churchland

  doorways in older universities such as Cambridge in England and St. Andrews in Scotland. Until the middle of this century, St. Andrews's degrees in physics were o‰cially degrees in Natural Philosophy. The title Ph.D. (Philosophae Doctor ...

• 

  Neuroscience and Philosophy

  By Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Felipe De Brigard

  This volume offers fourteen original chapters that address these issues, each written by a team that includes at least one philosopher and one neuroscientist who integrate disciplinary perspectives and reflect the latest research in both ...

• 

  How Biology Shapes Philosophy: New Foundations for Naturalism

  By David Livingstone Smith

  A collection of original essays by major thinkers, addressing how the biological sciences inform and inspire philosophical research.

• 

  Neuro-Philosophy and the Healthy Mind: Learning from the Unwell Brain

  By Georg Northoff

  Taking an integrative approach to understanding the self, consciousness, and what it means to be mentally healthy, this book brings insights from neuroscience to bear on philosophical questions.

• 

  Touching a Nerve: Our Brains, Our Selves

  By Patricia Churchland

  In this thought-provoking narrative—drawn from professional expertise as well as personal life experiences—trailblazing neurophilosopher Patricia S. Churchland grounds the philosophy of mind in the essential ingredients of biology.

• 

  Emotional Amoral Egoism

  By Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan

  This book is a perfect resource for enlightened readers, academics and policy makers interested in how our innate instincts and tendencies shape the world we live in, and how the interplay between neurophilosophy and policy can be harnessed ...

• 

  Neurophilosophy: Toward a Unified Science of the Mind-brain

  By Patricia Smith Churchland

  This is a unique book. It is excellently written, crammed with information, wise and a pleasure to read.' ---Daniel C. Dennett, Tufts University

• 

  The Oxford Handbook of Free Will

  By Robert Kane

  Metaethical subjectivists can also enter the free will debate through what I call "metaphilosophies." By a "metaphilosophy" I mean a view of what philosophy is and what philosophers should try to accomplish by philosophizing (Double ...

• 

  Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality

  By Patricia S. Churchland

  A key part of the story is oxytocin, an ancient body-and-brain molecule that, by decreasing the stress response, allows humans to develop the trust in one another necessary for the development of close-knit ties, social institutions, and ...