Free Will: A Very Short Introduction

by Thomas Pink

Every day we seem to make and act upon all kinds of choices: some trivial, others so consequential that they change the course of one's life, or even the course of history. But are these choices really free, or are we compelled to act the way we do by factors beyond our control? Is the feeling that we could have made different decisions just an illusion? And if our choices are not free, is it legitimate to hold people morally responsible for their...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B000S1MH9S
• ISBN13: 9780192853585
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 132 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.4" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

An engaging topic, an engaging book

Thomas Pink, the author, is a lecturer at King's College, London. In the discussion, pros and cons about Free Will, the author demonstrates that how learning about Free Will is just a matter of broadening and deepening one's own mind and understanding. I sincerely suggest reading this book to all intellectuals.

It's Your Choice

I own several books from Oxford's Very Short Introduction Series and Thomas Pink's FREE WILL is another good one. This book serves as a fine primer. In a little more than one-hundred pages the major thinking from ancient to modern times is presented. Professor Pink does have his point of view on the subject, and he lets you know it, but he is in no way heavy-handed, giving opposing thoughts full consideration. There is also a good list for further reading in case one is inspired to dig deeper into this age-old question.

I finished it!

OK, for me this was a supremely difficult piece of reading. It was ultimately worth the effort--difficult but very satisfying. The work is more an argument in favor of Prof. Pink's philosophy than a dispassionate summation of this field of inquiry. It is recommended not for the value of Prof. Pink's argument but as a compelling introduction to the subject itself. Frankly, I have tried and abandoned several works in philosophy. Recognizing that my difficulty arose from a lack of familiarity with the basic concepts and vocabulary of the discipline, I resolved to attempt the very short introduction and was pleased to find that it has primed me with concepts, ideas and an interest in pursuing further reading on the topic. Personally, I enjoy the philosopher's talent in finding hitherto unexplored depths in the most common of ideas; of focusing us on questions that have been glossed over. While others will quibble about the particulars of the various doctrines presented in this work, it surpasses many other "overview" books in its painstaking introductions to the difficult ideas at issue and strikes an excellent introductory balance between detail and summary. Herein lies its value; any introduction that leaves the reader with a desire to delve further into the discipline must be considered a success, "Free Will" accomplishes just that.