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Books
Freedom and Neurobiology by John Searle
Richard Corrigan freely ponders John Searle’s thoughts on free will.
This short book consists of two lectures: ‘Free Will as a Problem in Neurobiology’, and ‘Social Ontology and Political Power’, accompanied by a comprehensive introduction entitled ‘Philosophy and the Basic Facts’. Searle admits that the two themes do not appear to have much in common, but he views them both as essential aspects of his research. The book is a testament to Searle’s capacity for innovative and challenging thought. The primary question addressed here is: how can humans reconcile a world composed entirely of “mindless, meaningless, unfree, nonrational, brute physical particles” with our everyday conception of ourselves as “conscious, intentionalistic, rational, social, institutional, speech-act performing, ethical and free-will possessing agents”? (p5)
In his introduction Searle guides us through the history of philosophy, concisely explaining how we have progressed to our current state of understanding. He does this by exploring eight traditional philosophical questions and their connotations, including the nature of consciousness, free will and politics.
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