Everyone lives their lives feeling that they have free will — the ability to make decisions that are not completely controlled by external forces. However, for centuries philosophers have challenged this basic human instinct. Instead they suggest that our decisions are subject to physical laws, and therefore form a link in a predetermined chain of cause and effect. In other words, if you could measure all the forces acting on a person, you could perfectly predict their actions — they are not free to influence the world as they choose.
It is unsurprising that scientists, who rely on repeatable and empirical observations, have largely stayed away from this profound and complex question. However, intriguing and controversial experiments conducted in the 1980s by neuroscientist Benjamin Libet have dragged this perplexing idea out of philosophical volumes and into the laboratory. Before we consider Libet’s research, we will look at some other research.
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