Life without free will

Sharpham 22 August 2006


Neuroscience and meditation practice both seem to point to the uncomfortable conclusion that there is no persisting inner self that is the origin of creativity, the subject of our experiences, or the ultimate cause of our actions and decisions. In this case there can be no free will as it is usually conceived. Many people argue that life, law and society would be impossible without free will, or at least without an illusion of free will, but I disagree. We will explore what it is like to accept that “I” do not make the decisions.

For more ideas see:

Edge annual question 2005 – read my answer on free will
Website on Naturalism
The Meme Machine discusses free will in the context of memetics
Consciousness : An Introduction, Chapter 9 is on free will