Freedom Evolves by Daniel C. Dennett (English) Paperback Book

Description: Freedom Evolves by Daniel C. Dennett Is there really such a thing as free will? How can humans make genuinely independent choices if we are just a cluster of cells and genes in a world determined by scientific laws? In this title, the author provides a defense of free will. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Dennett is probably the worlds most widely read and influential philosopherDennett shows that human freedom is not an illusion; it is an objective phenomenon, distinct from all other biological conditions and found in only one species - us. There was a time on this planet when it didnt exist, quite recently in fact. It had to evolve like every other feature of the biosphere, and it continues to evolve today.Dennett shows that far from there being an incompatibility between contemporary science and the traditional vision of freedom and morality, it is only recently that science has advanced to the point where we can see how we came to have our unique kind of freedom. Notes A lucid and intriguing study of freedom, providing an explanation of why it is a phenomenon intrisic to only one species: the human. Dennett has sold over 85,000 books for Penguin. "This is a serious book with a brilliant message" Matt Ridley, Sunday Telegraph Author Biography Dennett is the author of Brainstorms, Brainchildren, Elbow Room, Consciousness Explained and Darwins DangerouS Idea. He is currently the Distinguished Arts and Sciences Professor and Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University.He lives in North Andover, Massachusetts. Review ?Dennett has taken on really big issues, made them clear, dealt with them seriously and given us much on which to reflect. . . . Crisp and critically insightful.? ("The Washington Post Book World") One of the most original thinkers of our time.? ("Science")aDennett has taken on really big issues, made them clear, dealt with them seriously and given us much on which to reflect. . . . Crisp and critically insightful.a ("The Washington Post Book World") aOne of the most original thinkers of our time.a ("Science")Dennett has taken on really big issues, made them clear, dealt with them seriously and given us much on which to reflect. . . . Crisp and critically insightful. ("The Washington Post Book World") One of the most original thinkers of our time. ("Science")"Dennett has taken on really big issues, made them clear, dealt with them seriously and given us much on which to reflect. . . . Crisp and critically insightful." ("The Washington Post Book World") "One of the most original thinkers of our time." ("Science")"One of the most original thinkers of our time." Kirkus UK Review Humans are physical beings with evolved brains and evolved minds. Humans are also moral agents with consciousness and will. How should we try to reconcile these very different visions of our humanness? Since human freedom is real, so it can be studied objectively from a no-nonsense, scientific point of view. And in Freedom Evolves, Dennett attempts to produce just such a no-nonsense, scientific account of human freedom, to reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable. The conventional arguments against both free will, on the one hand, and scientific materialism, on the other, rests on the belief that in a deterministic universe there is simply no room for freedom. Not so, says Dennett. Such a view confuses determinism and inevitability. Suppose Im playing baseball and the pitcher chucks the ball directly at my face. I turn my head to avoid it. There was, therefore, nothing inevitable about the ball hitting my face. But, a sceptic might say, I turned my head not of my own free will but was caused to do so by factors beyond my control. That is to misunderstand the nature of causation, Dennett retorts. What really caused me to turn my head was not a set of deterministic links cascading back to the beginnings of the universe - though that certainly exists - but my desire at that moment not to get hit by the baseball. At a different moment I might decide to take a hit in the face, if by doing so I help my team win the game. Dennett argues that freedom is not an illusion but an objective phenomenon, distinct from all other biological conditions and found only in one species - us. A profound and important book. (Kirkus UK) Promotional "Headline" Dennett is probably the worlds most widely read and influential philosopher Details ISBN0140283897 Author Daniel C. Dennett Pages 368 Publisher Penguin Books Ltd Year 2004 ISBN-10 0140283897 ISBN-13 9780140283891 Format Paperback Imprint Penguin Books Ltd Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom DEWEY 123.5 Birth 1942 Media Book Edition 1st Short Title FREEDOM EVOLVES Language English Publication Date 2004-02-26 UK Release Date 2004-02-26 Alternative 9780141949802 Audience General NZ Release Date 2004-02-25 AU Release Date 2004-02-25 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:626988;

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