How can we be content in a world full of choice?
We want the power of choice to entail the power to guarantee the best outcome. We should get rid of that illusion, embrace uncertainty and save anxiety for the choices that really matter.
ReadAuthor: Julian Baggini
Gloucestershire Philosophical Society
FREEDOM REGAINED – CHELTENHAM, 15 APRIL. Organised by the Gloucestershire Philosophical Society and the School of Humanities. Everyone is welcome and the event is free. 19:30–21:00, University of Gloucestershire (Francis Close Hall Campus) TC001.
ReadThinking Allowed
Free will explored. Laurie Taylor talks to Julian Baggini about his latest work which considers the concept of freedom. He argues against the idea that free will is an illusion due to a combination of genes, environment and personal history. Instead he posits a sliding scale of freedom which allows for the possibility of individual agency and responsibility.
ReadHow to Build Free Will
Those who despair of free will only do so because they have an unrealistic idea of what it involves. They have a fantasy of a mysterious, pure, free-floating will that acts independently of nature or nurture. They think that the only kind of real responsibility is ultimate responsibility, and that unless we can choose everything from our genders to our personalities to our preferences, we cannot be responsible for what we do.
Read
Freedom Regained
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.
Read