Article
Article
DISCLAIMER: This article is being kept online for historical purposes. Though accurate at last review, it is no longer being updated. The page may contain broken links or outdated information.
Free will and the brain
Article By:
Gazzaniga, Michael S. State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York.
Last reviewed:2013
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB130059
“[We] do evil by the free choice of our will” (Augustine, On Free Choice of the Will, 1.15). These words by Augustine of Hippo—and many similar statements by countless philosophers, theologians, politicians, legal scholars, and academics of many stripes—have formed the basis for Western society's interpretations of human behavior, whether it be sinful or holy, criminal or law-abiding, for nearly two millennia.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
