Is free will an illusion?
That is the question Sam Harris tries to answer in this lecture about the illusion of free will. This talk takes place in front of a sold out crowd at the Sydney Opera House during the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. Free will is a topic of much debate in the neuroscience field. Scientist have yet to narrow down where out thoughts come from. Do we control our thoughts? Are they our thoughts to control? When one really starts to analyse why our mind wanders it becomes increasingly unclear if we own our thoughts at all. You can not account for why you think of a specific subject at any given time.
The controversial theories of Sam Harris.
Sam Harris’ concept of the illusion of free will is not his only controversial subject. Sam Harris has also argued for the relationship between science and morality. He believe that science does have a say in human morality. Placing emphasis on maximizing human well-being, Harris argue that, not only is religion not the only game in town in terms of steering moral thought, but that religion is extremely poor in doing so. Harris attributes most of human moral advancements to science, society, and the power of human thought. However, that begs the question once again. Do we as humans have any control over our thoughts? Sam Harris doesn’t think so. If morality is attributed to the human thought process, and humans do not control our own thoughts, then what can we really attribute our morality too? Obviously I am just asking questions at this point. The topics that Sam Harris brings up, specifically his thoughts on the illusion of free will are quite interesting indeed.
Is Sam Harris’ theory on the illusion of free will correct?
What do you think? Sam Harris lays down a great argument but I am not sure I am convinced. It is an interesting concept no doubt. Let us know what you think in the comments. I would love to hear your thoughts on the illusion of free will.
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