Chapter 1: Natural Freedom
This Dilbert comic strip by Scott Adams expresses one of the problems that many people have with the philosophy of metaphysical naturalism (or materialism). If we do not have souls, as materialism preaches, and human consciousness is simply a product of material atoms bouncing off each other according to the laws of physics, then can we really claim to have free will? If we don’t have free will, can we truly accept praise for accomplishments that we achieve, or be held responsible for acts of evil that we perpetrate?
In his book, Freedom Evolves, contemporary philosopher Daniel Dennett tackles these questions, and argues that materialism does not pose a problem for free will; in fact, it can provide a positive account of free will that is better than traditional views.
In chapter one, Dennett outlines his belief that humans don’t have immaterial souls, and that many people feel uncomfortable with this view:
“But this idea of immaterial souls, capable of defying the laws of physics, has outlived its credibility thanks to the advance of the natural sciences. Many people think the implications of this are dreadful: We don’t really have “free will” and nothing really matters. The aim of this book is to show why they are wrong.” pg 1
Dennett argues that the main driving force behind most of the resistance to materialism, and to neo-Darwinism in particular, is concern about free will. These fears have led many to misunderstand and misinterpret current philosophical and scientific discoveries in this field.
This is the first book of Dennett’s that I’m reading, so I’m going to take it slow, and I will provide a summary of each chapter as I go along. I’m very interested to discover the finer details of his argument. I keep you all updated.
Welcome! This blog covers my thoughts and struggles as an ex-Christian. If you like, read my introductory post. I've also written two "concluding" posts on why I no longer post here that often. Feel free to comment!
5 comments:
'Freedom Evolves' is one of my bedtime reading books ATM. Good luck with it... [grin].
You are wise to take it slowly.....
Glad to see you post again, Kevin. As someone who's just finally (officially) declared as ex-Christian, I'm finding all kinds of books making their way onto my wish list, including Dennett's Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon It looks like a sociological approach -- something that appeals to me.
More than anything, thanks for putting yourself out there. Knowing that folks like you exist made it much more accessible for me to grasp that perhaps my inherited religion wasn't all it's cracked up to be.
Best to you,
Allison
Hi folks,
Noticed you're interested in free will, etc. When we open Pandora's box, what we actually discover is pretty liberating, even though we might not find the freedom we thought we needed.
best regards,
Tom Clark
Center for Naturalism
www.naturalism.org
Looking forward to your thoughts and feelings on this book, Kevin...
I actually just picked it up myself at the used book store down the street. :D
Hi Lui
Thank you for the links. Steven Pinker’s “The Blank Slate” is also on my “books to get” list, and so is “Darwin’s Dangerous Idea”. In fact, when I decided that I would get my first book by Daniel Dennett, I originally planned to get “Darwin’s Dangerous Idea”. However, before I had the opportunity to buy the book, a friend of Cori’s lent us a copy of “Freedom Evolves” – so I’ve started with that!
All the best
Kevin
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