Customer Reviews

How Free Are You?: The Determinism Problem

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Professor Honderich (of University College London) explains the "cause and effect" nature of our being and examines the leading misconceptions about the determinism position. He expertly undermines the "free will" argument by pointing out how we cannot be the ultimate originators of our choices and actions ('free agents') while still subject to causation. The handy glossary in the back of the book helps define any unfamiliar terms.

This book is really a condensed version of two of his greater works: "Mind and Brain" and "Consequences of Determinism" (both available through Amazon.Com) but is a superb introductory text for those interested in the topic, and just as great of a reference for those who are opposed to determinism, because it addresses those concerns and opens up the age-old debate -- one that has largely been lost on this century, but one that may not be lost on the next.

I have been a firm believer in determinism for a very long time... And ive read my fair share of philosophical literature on the subject... I was a little disappointed with this book... I was expecting more... No new ideas but if you know nothing about determinism its a good start to look here... However, I feel that the articles in Poijmans, introduction to philosophy text book are better...

This book did shed some new light for me on compatibalism... ie, some say that free will and determinism are compatibale because the agent wants what his deterministic nature wants.... and some say that they are not compatible because the agent did not originate his deterministic attributes, even though he does agree with them...

The book also lifts the person back up after they have fallen into the mind quaking fear of determinism. It does a good job at that..

The idea of determinism, thanks to neurology, will be the next revolution in culture... Darwin has a rival for the spotlight...

Because this theory is the next revolution in intellectual thought and because this book is at least an excellent introduction to determinism i give this book full stars...

Watch for my book on determinism... ha ha!!!

An introductory book about free-will vs determinism. For Honderich, determinism wins over free-will. Basically, the argument goes: our choices are caused; causation implies necessary relations between distinct entities; thus, if antecdents in a necessary relation holds, the resultant choice could not have been otherwise; there is no freedom (in the sense of self-originating choice) in this; thus there is no free-will.

Being an introduction, it is scant on references to contemporary authors or the details of contemporary debates. For this reason, some of his arguments skip over, without notice, some objections that could be made. E.g. Honderich takes explanation to always and only be about ontologically necessary relations. Some argue that such relations are neither logically necessary nor sufficient for explanation. Another e.g., Honderich's preferred Union Theory of the Mind-Body relation leaves aside the question of what precisely 'mental events' are. He tells us they are 'real' and so located in time-space, and also tells us they are not physical per se, but does not tell us what more they are than that, thereby leaving us with the 'hard problem' of what their precise nature is.

Given his determinism, Honderich's account of what 'free choices' amounts to is reasonable enough. Roughly, if you are not coercised, not under the influence of mind-altering substances, have an active intention in mind, etc., then your action was a 'free' one. It seems to me that difficulties with this arise if you starts wondering whether your intention is really 'your own' ... ironically, as philosophers more than anyone are wont to do.

Honderich's arguments are given in detail in his book, "The Consequences of Determinism: A Theory of Determinism, Volume 2 (Theory of Determinism Series)".