Downward causation and the neurobiology of free will

How is free will possible in the light of the physical and chemical underpinnings of brain activity and recent neurobiological experiments? How can the emergence of complexity in hierarchical systems such as the brain, based at the lower levels in physical interactions, lead to something like genuine free will? The nature of our understanding of free will in the light of present-day neuroscience is becoming increasingly important because of remarkable discoverieson the topic being made by neuroscientists at the present time, on the one hand, and its crucial importance for the way we view ourselves as human beings, on the other. A key tool in understanding how free will may arise in this context is the idea of downward causation in complex systems, happening coterminously with bottom up causation, to form an integral whole. Top-down causation isusually neglected, and is therefore emphasized in the other part of the book’s title. The concept is explored in depth, as are the ethical and legal implications of our understanding of free will. This book arises out of a workshop held in California in April of 2007, which was chaired by Dr. Christof Koch. Itwas unusual in terms of the breadth of people involved: they included physicists, neuroscientists, psychiatrists, philosophers, and theologians. This enabled the meeting, and hence the resulting book, to attain a rather broader perspective on the issue than is often attained at academic symposia. The book includes contributions by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, George F. R. Ellis , Christopher D. Frith, Mark Hallett, David Hodgson, Owen D. Jones, Alicia Juarrero, J. A. Scott Kelso, Christof Koch, Hans Küng, Hakwan C. Lau, Dean Mobbs, Nancey Murphy, William Newsome, Timothy O’Connor, Sean A.. Spence, and Evan Thompson. All star cast on an extremely hot and important topic Useful and important contribution to the growing interdisciplinary field of free will How is free will possible in the light of the physical and chemical underpinnings of brain activityand recent neurobiological experiments? Analysis of the current state of arguments over the meaning and legitimacy of concepts of emergence and downward causation for free will Interdisciplinary discussion of leading experts from neuroscience, physics, physiology,neurobiology, psychology, philosophy, theology or law INDICE: The Biophysics of the Brain and the Question of Free Will.- Human Freedom and 'Emergence'.- Volitional Control of Movement.- Contemplative Neuroscience as an Approach to Volitional Consciousness.- Top-Down Causation and Volition: Considerations from Physics.- Coordination Dynamics: The Physics of The Animate.- Intentional Behavior as a Complex System.- A Philosopher’s Look atEmpirical Studies of the Nature and Efficacy of Volition.- Free Will and Top-Down Control in the Brain.- The Controversy over Brain Research.- Thinking beyond the Bereitschaftspotential: Consciousness of Self and Others as a Necessary Condition for Change.- Neuroscience, Free Will, and the Law.- Law, Responsibility, and the Brain.

• ISBN: 978-3-642-03204-2
• Editorial: Springer
• Encuadernacion: Cartoné
• Páginas: 270
• Fecha Publicación: 01/09/2009
• Nº Volúmenes: 1
• Idioma: Inglés