<p>Decades ago, it was proven that 'conscious' actions arise from unconscious parts of the brain before consciousness is aware of an intention to act. Most 'decisions' are automatic responses to cues given by the current situation &amp; one's existing programming (instincts, drives, knowledge base, biases, etc). The only way to exert 'free willl' is by working to improve future responses using observations derived from earlier outcomes.</p><p>"Free Will" is a very poor term to describe experiential learning, &amp; is all to often used to verbally &amp;/or physically abuse those who have not yet learned.</p>

‘Free Will‘ exists in future actions, but never in the present.

Illuminating, uplifting and lighthearted, the third edition of THE MYTH OF FREE WILL expands on the powerful ideas in the first edition by offering 50 more pages of quotes and short essays on free will. The contents are divided into six chapters: 1) But It Seems So Real! 2) The Myth & Causality 3) The Myth & Morality 4) The Myth & the Brain 5) The Myth & Naturalism 6) The Myth & Me. There is a quiz, eight lessons, illustrations and a glossary. Contributors include Thomas W. Clark, Daniel Wegner, Steven Pinker, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer, William B. Provine, Paul Bloom, Antonio Damasio, Francis Crick, Eric Kandel, Robert Sapolsky, Arnell Dowret, Read Montague, Lee M. Silver, Matt Ridley, Ginger Campbell, V.S. Ramachandran, Douglas Hofstadter, Kurt Vonnegut, Tamler Sommers, Mark Twain and Albert Einstein. Author Susan Blackmore contributes a nice foreword, in which she says we can live without free will, and do better, personally, morally and practically. In all, 50 leading thinkers are represented. The book strives to answer the question, Who is saying we don't have free will and what are their credentials? It's mostly an anthology, definitely not a philosophy text. It was written for a mainstream audience, for people who wonder: Do I have free will? If not, why does it feel like I do? And it was written for people who understand that free will is a myth (the choir) and want to share this understanding with friends who might feel disturbed or intimidated by the subject. Finally, THE MYTH OF FREE WILL presents a fresh, quirky, yet profound treatment of an esoteric topic that's destined to become edgy.

The Myth of Free Will

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