Study Tackles Neuroscience Claims to Have Disproved “Free Will”

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Study Tackles Neuroscience Claims to Have Disproved “Free Will”
Neuroscience News  MARCH 12, 2018
https://neurosciencenews.com/free-will-neuroscience-8618/

Summary: A new qualitative review calls into question previous findings about the neuroscience of free will.

Source: North Carolina State University.

For several decades, some researchers have argued that neuroscience studies prove human actions are driven by external stimuli — that the brain is reactive and free will is an illusion. But a new analysis of these studies shows that many contained methodological inconsistencies and conflicting results.

“Score one for skepticism of claims that neuroscience has proven — or disproven — any metaphysical position,” says Veljko Dubljevic, co-author of the paper and an assistant professor of philosophy at NC State who specializes in research on the neuroscience of ethics and the ethics of neuroscience and technology.

“The problem is that neuroscientists in training are being taught these studies provide definitive proof of the absence of free will, and instructors aren’t being careful about looking at the evidence that supports the claims that are made,” Dubljevic says. “Teaching uncritical thinking like this in science courses is both unscientific and socially dangerous.”

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ABOUT THIS NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH ARTICLE

Funding: The work was supported with funds from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Racine), the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé for career awards (Racine), the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Programme (Dubljevic) and a seed grant from NC State University (Dubljevic).

Source: Matt Shipman – North Carolina State University
Publisher: Organized by NeuroscienceNews.com.
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is for illustrative purposes only.
Original Research: Abstract in American Journal of Bioethics.
doi:10.1080/21507740.2018.1425756
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21507740.2018.1425756

CITE
North Carolina State University “Study Tackles Neuroscience Claims to Have Disproved “Free Will”.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 12 March 2018.
<http://neurosciencenews.com/free-will-neuroscience-8618/>.

Abstract

The Impact of a Landmark Neuroscience Study on Free Will: A Qualitative Analysis of Articles Using Libet and Colleagues’ Methods

Gathering evidence across disciplines is a strength of interdisciplinary fields like neuroethics. However, conclusions can only be made if the evidence applies to the issue at hand. Libet and colleagues’ 1983 experiment is an interesting case study in this problem. Despite ongoing critiques about the methods used and the replicability of its findings, many people consider Libet and colleagues’ methodology a valid strategy to investigate free will and related topics. We reviewed studies using methods similar to those of Libet and colleagues (N = 48) to identify its use and the evidence produced. Overall, we found substantial variation between studies. While the Libet paradigm may be useful for examining how stimuli affect temporal judgments, the link between this and free will or moral responsibility is not clear. Being aware and critical of the methods used to gather results is important when applying scientific experiments to complex, abstract phenomena.