So now you might be tempted to just ignore the question, ignore the mystery of free will. Say "Oh, well, it's just an historical anecdote. It's sophomoric. It's a question with no answer. Just forget about it." But the question keeps staring you right in the face. You think about individuality for example, who you are. Who you are is mostly a matter of the free choices that you make.
Everything in the universe has some degree of free will. Even quantum particles. An elemental particle "decides" which way to spin. A cosmic ray decides when to decay. Not consciously, but choose they do. A new paper co-authored by mathematician John Conway, inventor of a cellular automata demonstration known as the Game of Life, argues that you can't explain the spin or decay of particles by randomness, nor are they determined, so free will is the only option left.
The Phenomenological Mind is the first book to properly introduce fundamental questions about the mind from the perspective of phenomenology. Key questions and topics covered include: * What is phenomenology? * naturalizing phenomenology and the empirical cognitive sciences * phenomenology and consciousness * consciousness and self-consciousness, including perception and action * time and consciousness, including William James, Edmund Husserl and temporal disorders in psychopathology * intentionality * the embodied mind * action * knowledge of other minds * situated and extended minds * phenomenology and personal identity. Interesting and important examples are used throughout, including phantom limb syndrome, blindsight and self-disorders in schizophrenia, making the Phenomenological Mind an ideal introduction to key concepts in phenomenology, cognitive science and philosophy of mind.
The question of free will is whether, and in what sense, rational agents exercise control over their actions and decisions. Addressing this question requires understanding the relationship between freedom and cause, and determining whether the laws of nature are causally deterministic.
The letters page of this week's New Scientist contains a lively debate about the neuroscience of free will, inspired by neuropsychologist Chris Frith's recent article on the topic
