David Smith publishes 3rd of his Psychology Today blog post series on the question of 'free will'

David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., UNE associate professor of philosophy, who writes a blog for Psychology Today, posted the third column of a series on the question of "free will" on Aug. 2, 2012.

In this third part of the series, Smith explores the concept of "hard determinism." He writes: "The doctrine of hard determinism has a way of freaking people out. It makes people uncomfortable.  There are a couple of reasons for this. One has to do with the time-honored notion of human autonomy. If hard determinism is true, doesn’t that mean that we’re caused to do everything that we do? Doesn’t it mean that we are nothing more than puppets of the forces of nature? The short answer is, 'No, it doesn’t.'” Read the blog.

Smith is the author of Less Than Human:  Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others, as well as Why We Lie:  The Evolutionary Roots of Deception and the Unconscious Mind and The Most Dangerous Animal:  Human Nature and the Origins of War.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.