Yuval says that the future is not deterministic, but depends on the decisions we make. At the same time, he says there is no free will, which means that whatever decisions we make are determined by our personal history. If … [Read more...]
Determinism in Daily Life
Determinism is the understanding that everything that is, is the result of everything that came before, and that includes you and me and everything about us. There is no free will. If you don’t believe that, then there … [Read more...]
Review of Lisa Feldman Barrett’s, “7 1/2 Lessons about the Brain”
I love this book, and the down-to-earth clarity with which Lisa describes the workings of the brain. Her sense of humor makes it a fun romp. She fleshes out my own intuitions about the brain and adds a whole raft of … [Read more...]
Response to Sam Harris’ Podcast with Robert Sapolsky
There are black people who hate white people, there are white people who hate black people, and both got their hatred through the same mechanisms: biology and culture—no one has free will. No one is ultimately to blame for … [Read more...]
Review of Daniel Dennett’s, From Bacteria to Bach and Back
Dennett has ideas about what human beings are and what they are capable of that he wants desperately to maintain against all science and logic. He wants to believe—and wants to convince us—that we are capable of … [Read more...]
Review of Daniel Dennett’s Elbow Room
(I wrote this review in 2010, but never got around to posting it here. He published a more recent edition in 2015 that I may review at some point; there were many issues I didn't get to in this one.) This book reminds me … [Read more...]
Review of Antonio Damasio’s, The Feeling Of What Happens
In his introduction Damasio states: “The . . . fact is that consciousness is not a monolith, at least not in humans: it can be separated into simple and complex kinds, and the neurological evidence makes the separation … [Read more...]
Chuang Tsu and Toenail Fungus
I was applying an over-the-counter remedy to the toenail fungus on my left foot—my right foot is asymmetrically fungus-free—when I found myself feeling disappointed that it doesn’t seem to be working. At that point a slightly … [Read more...]
Depression and Me
When I’m depressed, there’s no point in trying to figure out the reason for it, because when I’m depressed, everything I think of seems like a good reason: Is the sun shining? All that light is oppressive—no wonder I’m … [Read more...]
Review of Sam Harris’s Waking Up
Sam did a great job of dealing with the complexities of free will in his book by that name, but in Waking Up he is writing about consciousness and the self, which are altogether more difficult subjects, and he flounders. Like … [Read more...]
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