Free WillFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The End of Faith, a thought-provoking, "brilliant and witty" (Oliver Sacks) look at the notion of free will—and the implications that it is an illusion. A belief in free will touches nearly everything that human beings value. It is difficult to think about law, politics, religion, public policy, intimate relationships, morality—as well as feelings of remorse or personal achievement—without first imagining that every person is the true source of his or her thoughts and actions. And yet the facts tell us that free will is an illusion. In this enlightening book, Sam Harris argues that this truth about the human mind does not undermine morality or diminish the importance of social and political freedom, but it can and should change the way we think about some of the most important questions in life. |
Contents
Section 1 | 7 |
Section 2 | 15 |
Section 3 | 27 |
Section 4 | 31 |
Section 5 | 45 |
Section 6 | 48 |
Section 7 | 61 |
Section 8 | 64 |
Section 9 | 67 |
Section 10 | 69 |
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Common terms and phrases
amygdala appear arise background causes behav belief in free believe brain tumor causal choice choose compatibilism Compatibilists conscious agents conscious awareness conscious thought conscious witness consciously intended Consciousness Explained cortex course crimes Daniel Dennett decide decision desires determinism effort experience experimenters fact feel freedom Galen Strawson genes Harris Hayes human behavior idea of free ifyou illusion of free Imagine impulse influence instance intentionally shot intentions Jennifer Petit Jerry Coyne killed a young Komisarjevsky libertarian Libet lives man’s martial arts mental mind moral intuitions moral responsibility Naccache neuroimaging Neuron neurophysiology Neurosci notion of free ofit ofus one’s otherwise personal communication philosophy physical prefrontal cortex prior causes prior events psychological punishment quantum quantum computer Sam Harris scientific scious seems self-generated sense simply soul subjects subliminal thing thoughts and actions tion Tom Clark truth uncon unconscious understand victim wanted yogi