Do we have free will? Debate between Stephen Kershnar and John Keller

A debate between philosophers Stephen Kershnar and John Keller on October 22, 2015, at the University of Buffalo.

Q&A portion of Do we have free will? Debate between Stephen Kershnar and John Keller

Free Will Quote of the Moment

"This is the big one.  The notion that we have free will -- the ability to exercise conscious control over our actions and decisions -- is deeply ingrained in us...  We all have a sense of agency -- the conviction that even though we did one thing, we could have done another, and that at any given moment we have free choice of any number of actions.  Yet it seems that this is an elaborate illusion created by your brain.  The conclusion is inescapable.  We really are deluded." -Graham Lawton, Deputy Editor of New Scientist  weekly

How to disprove ANY free will argument in 2 easy steps

1.  Ask the free will believer to give an example of a choice they consider to be freely willed.

2.  Ask the free will believer to say whether or not that choice was caused.

Congratulations; you’ve won!

If the free will believer says the choice was caused, the causal regression makes free will impossible.

If the free will believer says the choice was uncaused, that would mean the choice was random.  Random thoughts are not what we mean when we say we believe a thought is freely willed.

You can easily apply this two-step refutation to any, and all, free will arguments-http://causalconsciousness.com/