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Scientia et Fides

Neurobiology and free will: a dialogue between Mariano Artigas and John Eccles
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Neurobiology and free will: a dialogue between Mariano Artigas and John Eccles

Authors

  • Javier Bernácer Mind-Brain Group. Institute for Culture and Society (ICS), University of Navarra

Keywords

interdisciplinarity, mind-brain, reductionism, free will

Abstract

In this article, I discuss the importance of multidisciplinary research to tackle the questions that empirical sciences, and in particular neuroscience, ultimately encounter. The last decades have witnessed an enormous progress in brain research, mainly because of the improvement of neuroimaging techniques and neurogenetics, and the development of optogenetics. Furthermore, the US Government and European Union have launched the BRAIN Initiative and Human Brain Project, respectively, to promote a better understanding of brain functioning and its disorders. Unfortunately, their gates appear sealed for disciplines that pursue a deep knowledge of the mind, such as philosophy or psychology. The most probable outcome of this situation is “promissory materialism”, as Sir John Eccles warned several decades ago. I review the multidisciplinary approach of Eccles to the study of the brain and mind, especially through his relationship with Mariano Artigas. Finally, I propose that interdisciplinary research may be improved by a more solid understanding of the discipline one wants to dialogue with, and a multidisciplinary training from the beginning of the research career.

References

Artigas, M. 2004. Las fronteras del evolucionismo. Pamplona: Eunsa.

Artigas, M., and J. C. Eccles. 2004. “Alma humana, ciencia, religión.” In Las fronteras del evolucionismo. Pamplona: Eunsa.

Bennett, M. R., and P. M. S. Hacker. 2003. Philosophical Foundations of Neuroscience. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Bernacer, J., and J. M. Giménez-Amaya. 2013. “On Habit Learning in Neuroscience and Free Will.” In Is Science Compatible with Free Will?, edited by A. Suarez and P. Adams, 177–193. New York: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-5212-6.

Blackmore, S. 2007. “Mind over Matter?” The Guardian - Medical Research (Opinion). https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/aug/28/mindovermatter.

Bush, G. 1990. “Project of the Decade of the Brain.” Presidential Proclamation 6158. http://www.loc.gov/loc/brain/proclaim.html.

Calderone, J. 2014. “10 Big Ideas in 10 Years of Brain Science.” Scientific American Mind. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/10-big-ideas-in-10-years-of-brain-science/.

Eccles, J. C. 1943. “The Ionic Mechanism of Postsynaptic Inhibition.” In Nobel Lecture. Stockholm.

Eccles, J. C. 1965. The Brain and the Unity of Conscious Experience. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Eccles, J. C. 1970. Facing Reality: Philosophical Adventures of a Brain Scientist. New York: Springer Verlag.

Eccles, J. C., and D. N. Robinson. 1984. The Wonder of Being Human. London: Collier Macmillan.

Hyman, S. E. 1998. “NIMH during the Tenure of Director Steven E. Hyman, M.D. (1996-Present): The Now and Future of NIMH.” American Journal of Psychiatry 155(9 Suppl): 36–40.

Libet, Benjamin. 1985. “Unconscious Cerebral Initiative and the Role of Conscious Will in Voluntary Action.” Behavioral and Brain Sciences 8:529-566. doi:10.1017/S0140525X00044903.

Libet, B., C. A. Gleason, E. W. Wright, and D. K. Pearl. 1983. “Time of Conscious Intention to Act in Relation to Onset of Cerebral Activity (Readiness-Potential).” Brain 106:623–642.

Miller, G. A. 2010. “Mistreating Psychology in the Decades of the Brain.” Perspectives on Psychological Science 5(6):716–743. doi:10.1177/1745691610388774.Mistreating.

Murillo, J. I., and J. M. Giménez-Amaya. 2008. “Tiempo, conciencia y libertad: Consideraciones en torno a los experimentos de B. Libet y colaboradores.” Acta Philosophica 11(17):291–306.

Schultze-Kraft, M., D. Birman, M. Rusconi, C. Allefeld, K. Görgen, S. Dähne, B. Blankertz, and J. D. Haynes. 2015. “The Point of No Return in Vetoing Self-Initiated Movements.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113(4):1080–85. doi:10.1073/pnas.1513569112.

Scientia et Fides

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Published

2016-12-19

How to Cite

1.
BERNÁCER, Javier. Neurobiology and free will: a dialogue between Mariano Artigas and John Eccles. Scientia et Fides [online]. 19 December 2016, T. 4, nr 2, s. 437–445. [accessed 20.3.2023].
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Vol. 4 No. 2 (2016): 10th anniversary of Mariano Artigas' death

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Articles: Temas relacionados con los intereses de Mariano Artigas

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