Freedom Evolves

Dennett's main book on free will, arguing that human freedom is real, compatible with determinism, and a product of biological and cultural evolution. He first argues that determinism does not imply inevitability. Using Conway's Game of Life, a simple deterministic world, he shows how structures can arise that avoid harm, and argues that such avoidance is real even if the underlying laws are deterministic. Indeterminism, he argues, would add nothing worth wanting, and he examines Robert Kane's libertarian theory in detail to show why. He then tells how cooperation, communication and culture produced creatures who can reflect on reasons and hold one another responsible. He discusses Benjamin Libet's experiments on the timing of conscious decisions, arguing that they do not show that we are mere bystanders to our own actions. Freedom, on this view, is not given in advance but is an achievement that depends on culture and can be enlarged or lost.

It is the fullest statement of a scientifically minded compatibilism, clearly argued and full of examples, and a direct reply to those who think neuroscience has abolished free will.