Why Free Will Is RealMany scientists and scientifically-minded philosophers are skeptical that free will exists. In clear, scientifically rigorous terms, Christian List explains that free will is like other real phenomena that emerge from physical laws but are autonomous from them—like an ecosystem or the economy—and are indispensable for explaining our world. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
1 Free Will | 15 |
2 Three Challenges | 31 |
3 In Defence of Intentional Agency | 49 |
4 In Defence of Alternative Possibilities | 79 |
5 In Defence of Causal Control | 113 |
Conclusion | 149 |
Notes | 161 |
| 187 | |
Acknowledgments | 203 |
| 207 | |
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Common terms and phrases
acted otherwise agent agent’s intentions agential indeterminism alternative possibilities animals argued bearer of free best theories brain and body capacity causal closure causal control causal exclusion argument causal relations choice claim compatibilism compatibilist course of action Daniel Dennett defended Dennett deterministic difference-making causes discussion dog’s driver’s encode epiphenomenalism example explain explanatory folk psychology free will requires fundamental physics genuine given higher-level property human actions ical idea instance intentional agency intentional mental intentional property intentional stance intentionality interpretation libertarianism Libet Mele mental causation microphysical microstate minism multiply realizable Nahmias nearest possible worlds neural neuronal neuroscientific notion options people’s person phenomenon philosophers phys physical determinism physical level physical processes predict premise psychological quantum mechanics question radical materialism rational readiness potential realizable reason reductive materialism relevant requirement for free responsible sense someone subject’s supervene thesis things three requirements tion tional underlying physical