The question of whether humans enjoy free will (or not) has occupied people for centuries. Science has not yet found a definitive answer but we are all familiar with the phenomenon. When we want something (a mental event), we get up to get it (a physical event). When something happens to us (a physical event), we react with, say, sadness or joy (a mental event). How is this possible? How can physical events influence mental states? And how can mental states lead to physical events? In this Episode I introduce to rival accounts: determinism (which claims that we are not free agents) versus libertarianism (which holds that our mind are free to choose between options). I discuss the pros and cons of each position and conclude that I am more convinced by the libertarian argument, i.e. the belief in the freedom of the will, than determinism - unless proven otherwise.

Literature:

There is a vast amount of literature on free will, consciousness and the mind. I found the following helpful: Susan Blackmore, Consciousness-An Introduction (2003); Richard Swinburne (ed.), Free Will and Modern Science (2011).

There are also good articles in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.