David Hodgson
- Focuses on a perennial philosophical problem, that of reconciling free will and responsibility with what science tells us about the world
- Develops Hodgson's original theory in full for the first time
- Involves a specific and straightforward suggestion concerning the contribution of conscious experiences to decision-making, namely that they enable an organism to be responsive to circumstances grasped as wholes, not just to those constituent features that engage with applicable laws or rules
In recent years, philosophical discussions of free will have focused largely on whether or not free will is compatible with determinism. In this challenging book, David Hodgson takes a fresh approach to the question of free will, contending that close consideration of human rationality and human consciousness shows that together they give us free will, in a robust and indeterministic sense. In particular, they give us the capacity to respond appositely to feature-rich gestalts of conscious experiences, in ways that are not wholly determined by laws of nature or computational rules. The author contends that this approach is consistent with what science tells us about the world; and he considers its implications for our responsibility for our own conduct, for the role of retribution in criminal punishment, and for the place of human beings in the wider scheme of things.
Praise for David Hodgson's previous work, The Mind Matters
"magisterial...It is balanced, extraordinarily thorough and scrupulously fair-minded; and it is written in clear, straightforward, accessible prose." --Michael Lockwood, Times Literary Supplement
"an excellent contribution to the literature. It is well written, authoritative, and wonderfully wide-ranging. ... This account of quantum theory ... will surely be of great value. ... On the front cover of the paper edition of this book Paul Davies is quoted as saying that this is "a truly splendid and provocative book". In writing this review I have allowed myself to be provoked, but I am happy to close by giving my endorsement to this verdict in its entirety!" --Euan Squires, Journal of Consciousness Studies
"well argued and extremely important book." --Sheena Meredith, New Scientist
"His reconstructions and explanations are always concise and clear." --Jeffrey A Barrett, The Philosophical Review
"In this large-scale and ambitious work Hodgson attacks a modern orthodoxy. Both its proponents and its opponents will find it compelling reading." --J. R. Lucas, Merton College, Oxford
Readership: Philosophers interested in free will and responsibility; legal philosophers and lawyers interested in theories of punishment, and especially in the role of retribution and/or the role of neuroscience in criminal law; philosophers and scientists interested in the comparison between human brains and computers, and in the role of consciousness in decision-making; and general readers interested in the above topics, and/or in the place of apparently free and responsible human beings in the world described by science, and/or in broader world views (reality of values, atheism, religion, and so on).
About the Author
David Hodgson, Judge of Appeal, New South Wales Supreme Court
David Hodgson will soon retire as a Judge of Appeal of the New South Wales Supreme Court, after a long legal career. During that career, he maintained a keen interest and involvement in philosophy. He has published two previous philosophical books through Oxford University Press, Consequences of Utilitarianism and The Mind Matters, and also numerous philosophical articles on consciousness, free will and plausible reasoning.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
The problem of free will and responsibility
Compatibilism
Haldane's argument
How I will proceed
1. FOUNDATIONAL BELIEFS
Can I be certain that I exist?
The need for language
Experiences and the external world
Foundational beliefs
2. TRUTH AND RATIONALITY
Truth Relativity of truth?
Rationality Fallacies and biases
Stich's argument
A legal example
Core assertions about truth and rationality
3. PLAUSIBLE REASONING
Formal and informal reasoning
Induction
Bayes' theorem
Illustration of Bayes' theorem
Levels of cognitive processes
Core assertions about plausible reasoning
4. CONSCIOUSNESS AND DECISION-MAKING
Dual aspects
Characteristic features of conscious experiences
Subjectivity
Qualia and unity
Neural correlates of consciousness
The efficacy of conscious experiences
Three questions
Rule-determined processes do not need consciousness
Core assertions about consciousness and decision-making
5. GESTALTS AND RULES
The argument outlined
Laws and rules
The Game of Life and computation
Tricks of consciousness
Some further thoughts
Core assertions about gestalts and rules
6. HOW GESTALTS PROMOTE RATIONALITY
Evolutionary origins
Aesthetic judgments
Plausible reasoning
Conclusion
Core assertions about how gestalts promote rationality
7. SCIENCE AND DETERMINISM
A lawful universe
Quantum mechanics
The free will theorem
Explanation of the theorem
Implications
Time and the block universe
Core assertions about science and determinism
8. NEUROSCIENCE AND CONSCIOUS CHOICE
Science and the brain
A general picture
The Cartesian theatre
The scale and nature of quantum effects
Libet, Gazzaniga and Wegner
Core assertions about neuroscience and conscious choice
9. INDETERMINISTIC FREE WILL
Will and responsibility
Comparison with Kane Agent-causation
Compatibilism
Assessment of compatibilism
Does luck swallow everything?
More about luck
Core assertions about indeterministic free will
10. VALUE JUDGMENTS
A different philosophical approach
Natural imperatives
Absolute imperatives
Prima facie imperatives
No reasonable irreconcilable differences
Why be moral?
Good, evil and beauty
Community practices and laws
Legal systems
Capacity for reasonable value judgments
Core assertions about value judgments
11. RESPONSIBILITY AND RETRIBUTION
Responses to wrong conduct
Overview
Australian criminal law
Retribution as a restriction on State compulsion
Why retribution should be maintained
Philosophical bases for retribution
The future of retribution
Core assertions about responsibility and retribution
12. THE BIG PICTURE
The scientific account
An experienced universe
Constraint, empowerment and guidance
Religious belief: a subject for rational enquiry
A value-embedded universe
Where do we come from?
Where are we going?
Can more specific beliefs be supported?
Potential for evil and good
Core assertions about the big picture
APPENDIX A
WHY BAYES' THEOREM WORKS
APPENDIX B
AGAINST FUNDAMENTALISM: BIBLICAL MORALITY
Abraham and Isaac
The Passover
The Promised Land
The New Testament
REFERENCES
