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A review by shorshewitch
Free Will by Sam Harris
5.0
#BookThoughts
Free Will by Sam Harris - 5/5
Is there anything as 'conscious' thoughts? What is the contribution of 'luck' in our lives? Is 'impulse' possible? Or do we act exactly as we intend to with a certain miliseconds of gap between the time to form an intention and to execute it?
Sam Harris explores the idea of 'Free Will' in this essay of his with lucid examples and logical arguments. He also quotes scientific experiments and counter-arguments and tries to make the readers understand his point through those.
The implications of the study of 'free will' are far and wide - in understanding human behavior, politics, criminal justice and social and moral ambiguities. The state of total consciousness is an illusion, and hence 'free will' is also a deluded idea. Why do we do certain things that we do? If we keep asking the 'why' deeper, we know there is a reason for everything. Many times one isn't just consciously aware of it. So how does one determine the consequences of actions?
Rejection of 'free will' may seem like a nihilist approach, but a rigorous study of it might open a plethora of explanations and sciences with regards to various human behavioral patterns.
Regarded as one of the 'new atheists' along with Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Daniel Dennett, Harris is in favor of discarding the word 'atheist' completely, his argument being, one doesn't need a word for rejection of faith or religion.
Although I had been thinking about this for quite a while, I found this articulate approach to the topic quite a fresh and adventurous perspective.
If you have read any books on free will, would love to have recommendations.
Some quotes by Harris -
"Even if you believe that every human being harbors an immortal soul, the problem of responsibility remains: I cannot take credit for the fact that I do not have the soul of a psychopath."
"How can we make sense of our lives, and hold people accountable for their choices, given the unconscious origins of our conscious minds?"
"Free will is an illusion. Our wills are simply not of our own making. Thoughts and intentions emerge from background causes of which we are unaware and over which we exert no conscious control. We do not have the freedom we think we have."
"Consider what it would take to actually have free will. You would need to be aware of all the factors that determine your thoughts and actions, and you would need to have complete control over those factors. But there is a paradox here that vitiates the very notion of freedom—for what would influence the influences? More influences? None of these adventitious mental states are the real you. You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm."
Free Will by Sam Harris - 5/5
Is there anything as 'conscious' thoughts? What is the contribution of 'luck' in our lives? Is 'impulse' possible? Or do we act exactly as we intend to with a certain miliseconds of gap between the time to form an intention and to execute it?
Sam Harris explores the idea of 'Free Will' in this essay of his with lucid examples and logical arguments. He also quotes scientific experiments and counter-arguments and tries to make the readers understand his point through those.
The implications of the study of 'free will' are far and wide - in understanding human behavior, politics, criminal justice and social and moral ambiguities. The state of total consciousness is an illusion, and hence 'free will' is also a deluded idea. Why do we do certain things that we do? If we keep asking the 'why' deeper, we know there is a reason for everything. Many times one isn't just consciously aware of it. So how does one determine the consequences of actions?
Rejection of 'free will' may seem like a nihilist approach, but a rigorous study of it might open a plethora of explanations and sciences with regards to various human behavioral patterns.
Regarded as one of the 'new atheists' along with Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Daniel Dennett, Harris is in favor of discarding the word 'atheist' completely, his argument being, one doesn't need a word for rejection of faith or religion.
Although I had been thinking about this for quite a while, I found this articulate approach to the topic quite a fresh and adventurous perspective.
If you have read any books on free will, would love to have recommendations.
Some quotes by Harris -
"Even if you believe that every human being harbors an immortal soul, the problem of responsibility remains: I cannot take credit for the fact that I do not have the soul of a psychopath."
"How can we make sense of our lives, and hold people accountable for their choices, given the unconscious origins of our conscious minds?"
"Free will is an illusion. Our wills are simply not of our own making. Thoughts and intentions emerge from background causes of which we are unaware and over which we exert no conscious control. We do not have the freedom we think we have."
"Consider what it would take to actually have free will. You would need to be aware of all the factors that determine your thoughts and actions, and you would need to have complete control over those factors. But there is a paradox here that vitiates the very notion of freedom—for what would influence the influences? More influences? None of these adventitious mental states are the real you. You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm."