Naturalism.org

1. Introduction

The Fiction of Phenomenality

Keith Frankish comments on Are Feels Real?

Introduction

Talk summary: One common conception of free will has it that if causal determinism is true, we can’t be free, what’s sometimes called the problem of free will and determinism. As a result, determinism – reliable cause and effect relations – is widely viewed as a threat to autonomy and responsibility. In this talk I aim to rehabilitate the reputation of determinism, showing how a pragmatic (not universal) determinism is not only true, but offers a practical and ethical perspective on human agency.

I.

In seven brief talks on free will in the Waking Up meditation app,  Sam Harris gets it importantly right about the consequences of giving up the myth of libertarian freedom. We are urged to accept causal determinism, plus any indeterminism that might exist, when it comes to understanding ourselves.

Consciousness and the Representational Relation:
Why Experience Can’t Be Objectified

Thomas W. Clark, Institute for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University

Keywords: consciousness, qualia, physicalism, representation, phenomenal experience, objectivity, content

Abstract