Free Will
by
Sam Harris
A short, fast read that is at the same time, light but dense. This is not a big, mind-bending book but a short, precise book with a very precise point to make and it most definitely does that.
Personally, I gave it a shot because generally I find Harris to be a calm, rational and thoughtful human being who is a very effective communicator of the scientific method in life and of rationality in a world that very often feels in desperate need of more of the same.
At its core, this book is Harris putting forth an academic idea, a philosophy in a simple and accessible form – in this instance, his focus being the concept of the titular “Free Will” and what it means and frankly, if it exists at all.
Using the aforementioned scientific method and data from varied studies that he cites, he posits that “Free Will” as we like to think of it is an illusion, that we are not as actively aware or thinking or anything for that matter – with an example being that MRI and other based scans and and tests in studies have shown that there are extraordinarily fast signals that traverse our brains finer components before we make any pronouncement or decision. He posits in part that this is a way to comprehend that we are perhaps creatures formed by our experiences and knowledge until that point and any and all decisions we make are driven by reactions our mind makes even before we know it, all based on that history that is each individual person.
In addition, he talks about the morality – a strong focus – wherein we wonder what is it that drives criminals to make the choices they do and commit the acts for which they are caught and imprisoned or even killed. How much is their fault? How much is freely chosen vs an impulse driven by something even they do not understand? How can we hold them truly accountable if they are not really in control of the choices that were made?
According to Harris, Free Will, “cannot be mapped on to any conceivable reality” and science, “reveals you to be a biochemical puppet.”
People’s thoughts and intentions, he says, “emerge from background causes of which we are unaware and over which we exert no conscious control.”
It is certainly an interesting read that opens a great many questions about life, about morality and our concepts about ourselves and the Free Will that we hold so very dear. However, in the end I felt that the book itself raised a great many things but aside from a pragmatic expectation and outlook, it was unable to provide any clarity or direction, mostly because there is not one to be had – yet.
Sure, there are signals that permeate our brain milliseconds before we actually seem to have reached the decision we announce or choice we make. Sure, we are very much products of the backgrounds we have had and the experiences and knowledge that has shaped us and therefore inevitably inform our choices.
BUT, where I think it falls short is that there are arguments even scientifically speaking, that there is a mountain of things we do not still know about how the Human Brain functions. We do not know the full nature of how things are processed and yes, there may be a time-lag between a spark in the mind and the brain putting forth a choice or action, but that does not make is lacking in Free Will per-se. Whose to say that it is simply the way the brain functions and we just don’t know how to understand the process yet? Maybe our mind NEEDS to process things like a computer in the background and put forth things that then our fore-brain can work with – because perhaps our aware brain as Harris also notes, could not possibly be actively studying and processing all the data needed for every single decision.
Therefore it is imminently possible that evolution gave us a small super-computer version of our brain that is built by our intrinsic natures coupled and driven in varying degrees (and perhaps by personal experiences) to take in the flood of constant input the world gives us and then uses the knowledge and experience available to make an educated choice of our own – a choice which can be regretted and even at times changed at the last minute or such. There are no shortages of people who committed horrible crimes either in a moment of impulse driven by something they didn’t know or by people who were desperate due to circumstances and many, many of whom regretted their actions when given proper help – where do they fall in all this?
A good read to provoke new thoughts and I think I would have preferred a more focussed approach to the criminal and moral aspects of the arguments presented – because there is no doubt that the question of “evil” behaviour and how much of that an individual can be fully blamed for and therefore how we deal with them, is a major point that our evolving society needs to think and re-think – because:
“The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.”
(-Fyodor Dostoevsky)
And the nature of our prisons and the treatment of inmates is one that has seen many changes in just the past two hundred years and we are seeing flaws in it still – things like trauma and mental health and the differing ways in which they are to be handled evolving not as fast as perhaps we might need. The Norwegian prison system wherein they have had a far far greater focus on rehabilitation and quiet isolation has seen a decline in both inmate populations and recidivism in the past few years – perhaps not exactly replicate-able in every country but one of many things that need to be studied and arguments like Harris’ here which echoes the Psychology and Psychiatric fields for years in the matter of how we are not always fully in control.
I enjoyed the intriguing nature of the arguments made (my own interpretation and acceptance of them aside) and appreciated the mostly thoughtful way in which it was all put together, while not becoming overly academic in nature and thus more accessible.
Not the easiest read and I see that many could be troubled by the implications and suppositions – but if you’re open to exploring the ideas presented within these pages.
One Happy Monk 
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