The Significance of Free Will [Paperback]

Robert Kane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

Robert Kane provides a critical overview of debates about free will of the past half century, relating this recent inquiry to the broader history of the free will issue and to vital currents of twentieth century thought. Kane also defends a traditional libertarian or incompatibilist view of free will (one that insists upon the incompatibility of free will and determinism), employing arguments that are both new to philosophy and that respond to contemporary developments in physics and biology, neuro science, and the cognitive and behavioral sciences.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Provides the most fully articulated, the most comprehensive, and the best case for libertarianism that has ever been devised."--Richard Double, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

"A magisterial work [that] culminates twenty-five years of thinking about the problems of free will. For those who believe both that robust free will cannot survive in a deterministic climate and that a viable free will need be scientifically respectable, Kane's work may prove salvific."--Mark Bernstein, University of Texas at San Antonio

"For more than a decade Robert Kane has vigorously defended libertarian free will in prose and print. Significance represents his definitive statement and it is a truly splendid book. Remarkably well organized and original, Significance requires rethinking standard convictions in the freedom/determinism debate about explanation, causation, responsibility, and worth. It's a must read for philosophers, psychologists, and cognitive scientists."--George Graham, University of Alabama at Birmingham

"This is, quite simply, the most thoughtful and detailed defense of libertarianism currently available." --Alfred R. Mele, Davidson College

",,,complex and carefully argued..."--Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

Robert Kane is at University of Texas at Austin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195126564
• ISBN-13: 978-0195126563
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #450,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kane Presents the Most Promising Defense of Libertarianism, December 15, 2001

By 

Ewok Gnome "AAB" (Hudson Valley, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Significance of Free Will (Paperback)

Robert Kane ably defends incompatibilism and proffers his own theory of libertarian agency that avoids the Scylla of noncausalism and the Charybdis of agent-causalism. Kane presents a causal-indeterminist theory of free action that makes use of work in contemporary physics and harmonizes with the dominant theory of action today--viz., the causal theory of action. His theory is compatible with a variety of physicalist theories of the mind and is one of the best candidates out there for a naturalized libertarian theory of free agency. There are drawbacks to his theory, however. Exploiting work in quantum mechanics to defend an incompatibilist theory of free action is not uncontroversial, and Kane seems sensitive to this fact. Overall, however, Kane does a first-rate job of presenting and defending his views while explaining the theories he holds up for criticism. His work reflects a commitment to taking philosophy and science as being on a continuum, but his work never ceases to be an excellent example of how to do conceptual analysis. This volume belongs in the library of anyone doing work in metaphysics and the philosophy of mind and action. It should also be of interest to philosophers of religion, ethicists, and people doing work in moral psychology.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, civil & knowledgable treatment of this vital topic, September 4, 1998

By 

T. R Machan (Silverado, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Significance of Free Will (Hardcover)

Kane is meticulous, fair, accessible, and probably right on most aspects of the free will topic. This kind of book is sadly not read outside academe but should be -- in our time when personal responsibility is widely doubted, here is a highly informed defense of it by someone who does not avoid the difficult objections and who does not introduce any mysterious factors to make sense of it. I do not by any means agree with all of what Kane lays out but his discussion has taught me a lot, even where I find him probably wrong. One wishes that other books on the human mind and agency were as level-headed and respectfully (of all sides) written as this work.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book - even if you don't agree with everything said, April 6, 2000

By 

Benjamin Alt (Westerm Michigan University) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Significance of Free Will (Paperback)

This is a supurbly writen book; it was easy to understand and follow. Not writen for a beginer into philosophy, but even those with a modest introduction to logical thought should have no problem. I don't agree with all of Kane's arguments, but he does a splendid job of bringing the problem out into the open. Read this if you intend to have an inteligent discussion on today's attitudes towards free will.