Voluntary Action: Brains, Minds, and sociality - Brossura

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0198527543 ISBN 13: 9780198527541

Casa editrice: Oxford University Press, USA, 2003

Riassunto

We all know what a voluntary action is-we all think we know when an action is voluntary, and when it is not. First, there has to be some wish or goal, then an action designed to fulfill that wish or attain that goal. This standard view of voluntary action is prominent in both folk psychology and the professional sphere (e.g., the juridical) and guides a great deal of psychological and philosophical reasoning. But is it that simple though? For example, research from the neurosciences has shown us that the brain activation required to perform the action can actually precede the brain activation representing our conscious desire to perform that action. Only in retrospect do we come to attribute the action we performed to some desire or wish to perform the action.

This presents us with a problem- -if our conscious awareness of an action follows its execution, then is it really a voluntary action?

The question guiding this book is" What is the explanatory role of voluntary action and, are there ways that we can reconcile our common-sense intuitions about voluntary actions, with the findings from the sciences?

This is a debate that crosses the boundaries of Philosophy, Neuroscience, Psychology and Social Science. This book brings together some of the leading thinkers from these disciplines to consider this deep and often puzzling topic. The result is a fascinating and stimulating debate that will challenge our fundamental assumptions about our sense of free-will.

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Recensione

. . . the book represents a very good overview of existing arguments and research relating to the topic of free will. Every chapter is unique and very much up to date . . . the book is a very good investment. (Science and Consciousness Review)

L'autore

Sabine Maasen is a Professor of Science Studies, University of Basel, Switzerland. Wolfgang Prinz is Director of the Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research, Germany. Gerhard Roth is Professor of Zoology and Director of the Brain Research Institute, University of Bremen.

Dettagli dell'edizione

• Editore: Oxford University Press, USA
• Data di pubblicazione: 2003
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0198527543
• ISBN 13: 9780198527541
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 390
• Redattore: Maasen Sabine
• Contatto del produttore: non disponibile
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