To view prices and purchase online, please login or create an account now.



Freedom Regained: The Possibility of Free Will

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Freedom Regained: The Possibility of Free Will
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Julian Baggini
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:256
Dimensions(mm): Height 190,Width 130
Category/GenrePhilosophy - epistemology and theory of knowledge
Popular philosophy
ISBN/Barcode 9781847087188
ClassificationsDewey:123.5
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher Granta Books
Imprint Granta Books
Publication Date 3 March 2016
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Do we have free will? It's a question that has puzzled philosophers and theologians for centuries and feeds into numerous political, social, and personal concerns. Are we products of our culture, or free agents within it? How much responsibility should we take for our actions? Are our neural pathways fixed early on by a mixture of nature and nurture, or is the possibility of comprehensive, intentional psychological change always open to us? What role does our brain play in the construction of free will, and how much scientific evidence is there for the existence of it? What exactly are we talking about when we talk about 'freedom' anyway? In this cogent and compelling book, Julian Baggini explores the concept of free will from every angle, blending philosophy, neuroscience, sociology and cognitive science. Freedom Regained brings the issues raised by the possibilities - and denials - of free will to vivid life, drawing on scientific research and fascinating encounters with expert witnesses, from artists to addicts, prisoners to dissidents. Contemporary thinking tells us that free will is an illusion, and Baggini challenges this position, providing instead a new, more positive understanding of our sense of personal freedom: a freedom worth having.

Author Biography

JULIAN BAGGINI (www.julianbaggini.com) is Founding Editor of The Philosophers' Magazine. His books include Welcome to Everytown: A Journey into the English Mind, What's It All About?: Philosophy and the Meaning of Life, the bestselling The Pig that Wants to be Eaten, Do They Think You're Stupid?, The Ego Trick and The Virtue of the Table: How to Eat and Think, all published by Granta Books.