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The Nonsense of Free Will: Facing up to a false belief
Richard Oerton
€ 10.99
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Description for The Nonsense of Free Will: Facing up to a false belief
Paperback. Did Myra Hindley deserve to be punished? Does any criminal? Is belief in free will an essential foundation for morality, or an excuse for unwarranted cruelty? Is free will a myth and, if so, can we let go of it? Num Pages: 240 pages, Illustrations. BIC Classification: HPS. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 216 x 140 x 15. Weight in Grams: 244.
Did Myra Hindley deserve to be punished? Does any criminal? Is belief in free will an essential foundation for morality, or an excuse for unwarranted cruelty? Is free will a myth and, if so, can we let go of it? In this entertaining, accessible but deeply serious book, the author brings a refreshingly original approach to the age-old conflict between free will and determinism and comes down firmly against free will. But what does ‘free will’ mean? And if we rejected it, what would the consequences be? The author, a lawyer who has worked both on law reform at the Law Commission and in private practice, and has written legal and other books and articles, has turned to a subject which has interested him for over half a century. He strongly believes that it does not belong exclusively to philosophers. These questions should be of concern to everyone – and no one who is willing to look at them objectively should be afraid to judge for themselves and reach their own conclusions.
Product Details
Publisher
Troubador Publishing United Kingdom
Number of pages
240
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2012
Condition
New
Weight
244g
Number of Pages
240
Place of Publication
Market Harborough, United Kingdom
ISBN
9781780882871
SKU
V9781780882871
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 4 to 8 working days
Ref
99-2
About Richard Oerton
Richard Oerton has had a career as a lawyer, working both at the Law Commission and in private practice, and has produced a number of legal and other books and articles. In retirement he has written two books denying the existence of what is called “free will” and questioning contemporary ideas about morality. Having been a member of the human race for 88 years, he now takes a last lingering final look at its membership in general and sees much that has disappointed him - in them and, come to that, in himself.
Reviews for The Nonsense of Free Will: Facing up to a false belief
‘Most people are completely taken in by the illusion of free will. Happily, Richard Oerton is not among them. The Nonsense of Free Will is a wonderfully clear – and very clever – little book.’
Sam Harris
author of The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape and Free Will
‘There are philosophical, scientific, scholarly, novel, determined, American, pompous, dotty and other books on free will and determinism. There are also a few books that are lucid and informal introductions for ordinary readers and let you know that your free will does not exist. Richard Oerton’s may be the best of these.’
Professor Ted Honderich
Grote Professor Emeritus of the Philosophy of Mind and Logic, University College London
This book is superbly written and a delight to read. Starting as a clearly reasoned treatment of determinism, it merges seamlessly into a critique of English criminal law and penal policy, and ends with a plea for society to abandon what the author sees as its irrational belief in free will.’
Joshua Rozenberg
lawyer and legal commentator, formerly legal editor of The Daily Telegraph
Sam Harris
author of The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape and Free Will
‘There are philosophical, scientific, scholarly, novel, determined, American, pompous, dotty and other books on free will and determinism. There are also a few books that are lucid and informal introductions for ordinary readers and let you know that your free will does not exist. Richard Oerton’s may be the best of these.’
Professor Ted Honderich
Grote Professor Emeritus of the Philosophy of Mind and Logic, University College London
This book is superbly written and a delight to read. Starting as a clearly reasoned treatment of determinism, it merges seamlessly into a critique of English criminal law and penal policy, and ends with a plea for society to abandon what the author sees as its irrational belief in free will.’
Joshua Rozenberg
lawyer and legal commentator, formerly legal editor of The Daily Telegraph