000			04710nam a2200361Ki 4500
001			ocn885208627
003			OCoLC
005			20240726104717.0
008			140804s2014 nyu o 000 0 eng d
040			_aNT _beng _erda _epn _cNT
020			_a9780199371631 _q((electronic)l(electronic)ctronic)
050	0	4	_aBJ1461 _b.F744 2014
049			_aNTA
100	1		_aMele, Alfred R., _d1951- _e1
245	1	0	_aFree : _bwhy science hasn't disproved free will / _cAlfred R. Mele.
260			_aNew York : _bOxford University Press, _c(c)2014.
300			_a1 online resource.
336			_atext _btxt _2rdacontent
337			_acomputer _bc _2rdamedia
338			_aonline resource _bcr _2rdacarrier
347			_adata file _2rda
504			_a2
520	0		_a"Does free will exist? The question has fueled heated debates spanning from philosophy to psychology and religion. The answer has major implications, and the stakes are high. To put it in the simple terms that have come to dominate these debates, if we are free to make our own decisions, we are accountable for what we do, and if we aren't free, we're off the hook. There are neuroscientists who claim that our decisions are made unconsciously and are therefore outside of our control and social psychologists who argue that myriad imperceptible factors influence even our minor decisions to the extent that there is no room for free will. According to philosopher Alfred R. Mele, what they point to as hard and fast evidence that free will cannot exist actually leaves much room for doubt. If we look more closely at the major experiments that free will deniers cite, we can see large gaps where the light of possibility shines through. In Free: Why Science Hasn't Disproved Free Will, Mele lays out his opponents' experiments simply and clearly, and proceeds to debunk their supposed findings, one by one, explaining how the experiments don't provide the solid evidence for which they have been touted. There is powerful evidence that conscious decisions play an important role in our lives, and knowledge about situational influences can allow people to respond to those influences rationally rather than with blind obedience. Mele also explores the meaning and ramifications of free will. What, exactly, does it mean to have free will -- _cProvided by publisher.
520	0		_a"Scientists have forged a penetrating, coherent course in the study of human thought and action. Yet some of the same scientists have slashed out an adjacent, rough-hewn path, cutting at the roots of the belief in free will and at the groundwork of relationships among the conscious will, the mind, and the brain. Claiming to disprove the existence of free will is not only wrongheaded, Mele argues, but harmful; research shows that people who don't believe they are free are more likely to behave badly, as they sink into feeling like they aren't responsible for their actions. Putting a positive spin on this, Mele conveys what he calls the 'good news' that we are freer than we think. If we see ourselves as morally responsible for our future actions, we can begin to view ourselves as having abilities and capacities that give us considerable control over what we do. Mele takes apart the findings of neuroscience and psychology experiments often cited as irrefutably disproving the existence of free will, for example those of Benjamin Libet, and demonstrates that their results have been misinterpreted. Mele explains why the experimental findings are actually consistent with our making many of our decisions consciously and with our having considerable control over many of our decisions and actions. In order to find truth and clarity on this crucial topic, Mele argues, philosophers, scientists, and psychologists alike need to explore one another's work rather than relying on scientific findings - and a rigid interpretation of those findings- as the only key to solving the complex puzzle that is free will"-- _cProvided by publisher.
505	0	0	_aMachine generated contents note: -- _tPreface -- _t1. Decisions, Decisions -- _t2. Benjamin Libet: If Not Now, When? -- _t3. Is Free Will Adrift in New-Wave Neuroscience? -- _t4. Good Intentions -- _t5. Tough Situations -- _t6. Free Will, Fruit Flies, and Evidence -- _tReferences.
530			_a2 _ub
650		0	_aFree will and determinism.
655		1	_aElectronic Books.
856	4	0	_zClick to access digital title | log in using your CIU ID number and my.ciu.edu password. _uhttpss://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=818695&site=eds-live&custid=s3260518
942			_cOB _D _eEB _hBJ _m2014 _QOL _R _x _8NFIC _2LOC
994			_a02 _bNT
999			_c75724 _d75724
902			_a1 _bCynthia Snell _c1 _dCynthia Snell