Product Information
We all seem to think that we do the acts we do because we consciously choose to do them. This commonsense view is thrown into dispute by Benjamin Libet's eyebrow-raising experiments, which seem to suggest that conscious will occurs not before but after the start of brain activity that produces physical action. Libet's striking results are often claimed to undermine traditional views of free will and moral responsibility and to have practical implications for criminal justice. His work has also stimulated a flurry of further fascinating scientific research--including findings in psychology by Dan Wegner and in neuroscience by John-Dylan Haynes--that raises novel questions about whether conscious will plays any causal role in action. Critics respond that both commonsense views of action and traditional theories of moral and legal responsibility, as well as free will, can survive the scientific onslaught of Libet and his progeny. To further this lively debate, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Lynn Nadel have brought together prominent experts in neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and law to discuss whether our conscious choices really cause our actions, and what the answers to that question mean for how we view ourselves and how we should treat each other.Product Identifiers
PublisherOxford University Press
ISBN-139780195381641
eBay Product ID (ePID)17046693708
Product Key Features
Book TitleConscious Will and Responsibility: a Tribute to Benjamin Libet
Publication Year2010
TypeTextbook
FormatHardcover
LanguageEnglish
AuthorWalter Sinnott-Armstrong, Lynn Nadel
TopicLaw, Popular Philosophy, Biology
Number of Pages288 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height262 mm
Item Weight673 g
Additional Product Features
EditorWalter Sinnott-Armstrong, Lynn Nadel
Country/Region of ManufactureUnited States
Topic AreaSocial Psychology