One of the central and widely discussed questions of neuroscience and philosophy is whether we have free will. Scientists’ opinions about what free will is, and even about the reality of its existence, are very contradictory. The idea of free will can be conveyed as the ability for self-control, and the conscious suppression of impulses and desires (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2018). However, scientists cannot agree on what definition to give to this phenomenon.
Modern science literature states that belief in free will is false. Thus, in his famous experiment, physiologist Benjamin Libet showed that the motor area of the cerebral cortex activates about 300 milliseconds before an individual decides to make a particular movement (Brass et al., 2019). The experiment results, supported by Haynes and Harris, prove that the brain decides what to do before a human realizes it (Nahmias, 2017). These opinions coincide with widely known Freud’s idea that the unconscious determines a person’s feelings, desires, and actions.
Psychologists consider free will to be the inseparable element of a human brain. Dovidio & Van Zomeren (2018) argue that free choice predetermines human behavior and differentiates it from non-human behavior. The idea is supported by the fact that a person receives a relatively wide range of open social roles and professional activities in society. He or she can shape and modify the environment following their interests and goals. In a sense, the socio-cultural environment is a product of human activity and human will.
Regardless of the philosophers’ debate, whether there is free will or not, any civilized society, when adopting a set of laws, is guided precisely by the presence of free will in a person. Finding answers to questions about free will is extremely important as the legal system and the moral foundation of modern society require a better understanding of a person’s responsibility for his or her actions.
References
Brass, M., Furstenberg, A., & Mele, A. R. (2019). Why neuroscience does not disprove free will. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 102(1), 251–263. Web.
Dovidio, J. F., & Van Zomeren, M. (2018). The Oxford handbook of the human essence. New York Oxford University Press.
Nahmias, E. (2017). Why do we have free will? Scientific American, 26, 24-27.
Stanford Edu (2018). Free Will. In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web.