Summary
This introduction reviews the traditionally conceived question of free will from the point of view of a physicist turned neurobiologist. I discuss the quantum mechanic evidence that has brought us to the view that the world, including our brains, is not completely determined by physics and that even very simple nervous systems are subject to deterministic chaos. However, it is unclear how consciousness or any other extra-physical agent could take advantage of this situation to effect a change in the world, except possibly by realizing one quantum possibility over another. While the brain is a highly nonlinear and stochastic system, it remains unclear to what extent individual quantum effects can affect its output behavior. Finally, I discuss several cognitive neuroscience experiments suggesting that in many instances, our brain decides prior to our conscious mind, and that we often ignorant of our brain’s decisions.
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Koch, C. (2009). Free Will, Physics, Biology, and the Brain. In: Murphy, N., Ellis, G.F.R., O’Connor, T. (eds) Downward Causation and the Neurobiology of Free Will. Understanding Complex Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03205-9_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03205-9_2
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