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More Fun Debating Free Will (and Bashing Dan Dennett)

July 9, 2011 by Daniel Horne 2 Comments

volition and brain

Pop science journalists / authors Bob Wright and John Horgan have an interesting debate on free will from a, well, pop science point of view.

Nothing gets resolved, as always, but I like hearing well-informed middle-aged guys argue the same debate we've been hearing since the university dorm room.

Highlights include Wright's assessment of Daniel Dennett's Freedom Evolves:

Horgan naturally disagrees, but it's telling that his biggest objection is his reluctance to accept a free-will-less universe. Isn't that everyone's biggest objection?

-Daniel Horne

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Filed Under: Things to Watch Tagged With: Daniel C. Dennett, determinism, free will, John Horgan, philosophy blog, Robert Wright

Comments

  1. Crowhill says

    August 21, 2012 at 7:00 am

    Another of the things I love about PEL is the disrespect shown to Dan Dennett, who has always impressed me as a pompous jerk who isn’t half as smart as he thinks he is.

    Reply
    • Daniel A. says

      September 3, 2018 at 9:15 pm

      “Another of the things I love about PEL is the disrespect shown to Dan Dennett, who has always impressed me as a pompous jerk who isn’t half as smart as he thinks he is.”

      But when he espouses the same atheist views that you have and bashes religion on your behest, he is suddenly the greatest guy in the world and a super genius. Very mature. of you – not childish at all.

      (Most people are simply too dumb to understand compatibilism. It’s that simple. And Bob Wright is a perfect example of it.)

      Reply

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