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Free will without consciousness?

Liad Mudrik1, Inbal Gur Arie2, Yoni Amir3

  • 1School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|April 16, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Unconscious processes may influence decisions, but they do not negate free will. Understanding these unconscious biases reveals specific limitations on our freedom and offers testable insights into the free will debate.

Keywords:
decision-makingfree willsubliminal primingunconscious processesvoluntary action

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Neural activity preceding volitional actions is central to the free will debate.
  • Existing discussions often overlook unconscious influences on decision-making.
  • The impact of unconscious biases on the concept of free will remains contentious.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether unconscious processes affect decision-making and its implications for free will.
  • To explore the empirical testability of the controversy surrounding unconscious influences and freedom.
  • To bridge scientific findings with philosophical approaches to free will.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on neural correlates of decision-making.
  • Analysis of studies on unconscious cognitive and affective processes.
  • Philosophical argumentation integrating empirical evidence.

Main Results:

  • Unconscious influences do not invalidate free will but indicate situational limitations on freedom.
  • The debate on free will and unconscious bias is amenable to empirical investigation.
  • Specific circumstances reveal varying degrees of individual freedom.

Conclusions:

  • While free will exists, its scope can be constrained by unconscious factors.
  • Empirical research can clarify the relationship between unconscious influences and degrees of freedom.
  • This work provides a framework for future scientific-philosophical inquiry into free will.