Free, by Alfred Mele

Like any philosopher worth his salt, Alfred Mele pursues questions that the rest of either don't spend any time thinking about, or stay up talking about in late-night bull sessions.  The question of free will is hotly debated in philosophical circles, but you may not be as aware that other fields have tackled the question as well.  Mele explores several scientific denials of free will in Free: Why Science Hasn't Disproved Free Will.

Mele "explains why the scientific experiments that are most often claimed to prove that there's no free will in fact leave the existence of free will wide open."  His  conclusion is modest.  He points out the flaws and weaknesses of each theory, but does not make claims of his own.  That seems a worthy goal, and he does it well.

Free is brief and readable, and serves as an interesting review of the neurological and psychological challenges to free will.  There are many facets of the debate over free will that aren't covered in Free, but Mele's focused arguments will provide some useful content for those late-night bull sessions.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!