The Mirror of Knowledge

Sam Harris’s Materialistic Interpretation of Free Will and its Criticism from Mûllā Ṣâdrā’s Viewpoint

Abdullah HosseiniEskandian

Volume 23, Issue 3 , January 2024, , Pages 137-166

https://doi.org/10.48308/jipt.2023.232104.1432

Abstract

The problem of free will, which had been discussed by the ancient Greek philosophers, has been discussed in Islamic philosophy at length. For Muslim philosophers, the will is one of the faculties of soul, which causes the action by motivating the desire and making the bodily organs move. In recent decades, ... Read More The problem of free will, which had been discussed by the ancient Greek philosophers, has been discussed in Islamic philosophy at length. For Muslim philosophers, the will is one of the faculties of soul, which causes the action by motivating the desire and making the bodily organs move. In recent decades, due to the great progress made in the field of neuroscience, some materialists have tried to use the findings of neuroscience for explaining their deterministic and materialistic viewpoint and interpreting the process of issuance of the action from a human being according to the neural changes in the body. Sam Harris is one of those who have taken such an approach, and by emphasizing on Libet’s findings and new experiments on the cerebral cortex as well as emphasizing on the factor of environment, considers the human behavior as arising from the environment and genetics, and denies the voluntary and free action. On the other hand, he considers the body as the origin of action and rejects the idea of “Mind” and “Soul”. In this paper, I have tried to criticize Harris’s viewpoint according to the foundations of Mûllā Ṣâdrā’s Transcendent Philosophy.FindingsSam Harris has tried to deny the human free will by focusing on the environment and genetics and considering it only an illusion. But, based on the philosophical foundations of Mûllā Ṣâdrā’s Transcendent Philosophy, Sam Harris’s viewpoint faces some major criticisms which makes it irrational and unacceptable. Emphasizing on the role of genetics, considering all behaviors as predictable by neurons, appealing to chance and randomness in justifying some behaviors, emphasizing on human unawareness of the origin of human actions, considering the behaviors as arising from the activities of body, ignoring the substance of the Mind (the Soul), and confusing determinism with compulsion are some of the cases which reject Harris’s materialistic viewpoint. The will is the crystallization of the soul, which distinguishes human beings from other creatures, and its function cannot be related to the neural activities of the body. Discussion and ConclusionSam Harris sees free will as only an illusion. By emphasizing on the findings of Benjamin Libet in his famous experiment and also by emphasizing on the role of the environment, Harris believes that we are not free agents in doing our actions and that it is genetics and the environment that determine how we must behave. Considering the free will as an illusion goes to the extent that Harris sometimes knows free will as mysterious or essentially meaningless. He emphasizes that free will has nothing to do with any kind of reality and that human beings have no awareness of the origin of their actions. Harris considers human actions as completely compulsory and the product of family, social and environmental conditions in which a person grows up. He, then, points out that human beings are unaware of the process of life and that the hidden dimensions of the mind, which are the origins of many behaviors, are hidden from us. This leads him to the denial of human freedom. On the other hand, Mûllā Ṣâdrā considers the will as one of the faculties of soul, and believes that it is not a material thing. According to Mûllā Ṣâdrā, a human being has free will, and the conscious and purposeful actions which issue from him indicate the existence of the faculty of will in his soul. And, in his view, the true will is a graded thing. Sam Harris’s materialistic interpretation of free will faces challenges and criticisms which make it an unreasonable and unjustifiable interpretation. His reliance on environment and genetics is the most important weakness of his materialistic interpretation of human free will, because it cannot negate the human free will.

Critical Appraisal of Abolhasan Ameri's Views on Predestination and Free Will

Einollah Khademi

Volume 22, Issue 4 , April 2023, , Pages 71-98

Abstract

The problem of predestination and free will is one of the long-lasting and important topics which has preoccupied people's minds, and made scholars of different religions and doctorines to adopt a position toward it. The focus of the present paper is on Ameri’s perspective on this important issue. ... Read More

A Critical study of Naeini’s View on Causal Necessity in the Light of Transcendent Wisdom

majid ahsan

Volume 20, Issue 4 , March 2021, , Pages 1-22

https://doi.org/10.52547/jipt.2021.211258.0

Abstract

Causation and its subsidiaries as causal necessity are among the issues considered by thinkers since antiquity till the present time. Despite its long history, it is still the center of attention and the source of controversies. A wide range of views (including absolutely positive or negative ... Read More Causation and its subsidiaries as causal necessity are among the issues considered by thinkers since antiquity till the present time. Despite its long history, it is still the center of attention and the source of controversies. A wide range of views (including absolutely positive or negative ones) on causal necessity shows its difficulty and importance which necessitate more accurate reflection. In Islamic philosophy, including transcendental wisdom, causal necessity has been accepted as one of the fundamental principles of philosophy. That is why, according to various analyses, its refutation or acceptance has no effect on the acceptance of causal necessity principle itself. On the contrary, some of Islamic Usuliyyin, such as Mirza ________________________ * Imam Sadiq University ahsan.majid62@gmail.com Reception date: 99/2/25 Acceptance date: 99/10/8 Naeini and his followers take the view that the result of belief in human will and authority necessitates the denial of causal necessity in the case of free agents. While accepting causal necessity and the principle that “al-Shay-u Ma Lam Yajib Lam Yujad” (the thing that is not obligatory is not existent), these thinkers have considered its allocation and specialization; and therefore, have reduced this rule to obligatory natural causes. The present article is an attempt to study these two opposing positions comparatively. The conclusion is that Mirza Naeini and his followers seem to be not aware of the principles of transcendental wisdom as they advance their discussion according to their non-Sadraian view of Causal necessity. This shows the dominance of customary view among Usuliyyin which is inconsistent with the transcendental wisdom in analyzing the issue, explaining their principles and thought system and in their type of analyses which are borrowed and not original. The paper is a critique of their claim that free agents are not subject to the necessity principle, and their claim that their views are similar to the views of transcendental wisdom. Finally, this paper shows that the various fundamental and structural objections to Mirza Naeini and his followers indicate the strength and comprehensiveness of the position of transcendental wisdom.

Reflecting on the Issue of Predestination and Free will in the History of Imamah Theology

mohammadhossin faryab

Volume 18, Issue 4 , March 2018, , Pages 21-46

Abstract

Predestination and free will is among the fundamental issues related to other important issues such as the purpose of human creation, the prophetic mission, the appointment of imams and resurrection; therefore, taking the wrong viewpoint on this issue can overshadow the other ones. Adopting a historical ... Read More

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Review of Determinism and free will in the field of mystical teachings

Reza Hoseinifar; Zeinab KHodadad

Volume 18, Issue 4 , March 2018, , Pages 47-70

Abstract

, Although "Determinism and free will" in its quiddity is a Theology issue, it has also led to mysticism for two reasons: the Theology background of the mystics and the necessity of some mystical teachings. The pursuit of this Theology discussion in the Islamic mysticism has led to a wider range of depth ... Read More

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the problematic position of free will inAugustin thoght

Volume 15, Issue 4 , January 0, , Pages 73-90

Abstract

Augustin Read More

Analysis and Critique of Kant's Conception of God

saleh hasanzadeh

Volume 18, Issue 1 , January 0, , Pages 81-104

Abstract

The concept of God and His relationship with the world and human beings, together with ontology, has been one of the main preoccupations of philosophy and theology. In other words, the question of God and His relationship with the world has always occupied the mind and thought of man. Everyone answers ... Read More

The inherent dignity, Intellect and humanism, Islam and western context (by emphasizing Motahari and Hobbes, Locke, Spinoza and berlin beliefs)

hosean yazdi

Volume 17, Issue 3 , January 0, , Pages 129-148

Abstract

Right after medieval ages in the west and when freedom became a recurrent problem and gaining importance as a significant value, religion and freedom were investigated by Islamic scholars and researchers. This study is an attempt to investigate the foundations of freedom within different Islamic schools ... Read More

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Keywords = free will

Sam Harris’s Materialistic Interpretation of Free Will and its Criticism from Mûllā Ṣâdrā’s Viewpoint

Abstract

Critical Appraisal of Abolhasan Ameri's Views on Predestination and Free Will

Abstract

A Critical study of Naeini’s View on Causal Necessity in the Light of Transcendent Wisdom

Abstract

Reflecting on the Issue of Predestination and Free will in the History of Imamah Theology

Abstract

Review of Determinism and free will in the field of mystical teachings

Abstract

the problematic position of free will inAugustin thoght

Abstract

Analysis and Critique of Kant's Conception of God

Abstract

The inherent dignity, Intellect and humanism, Islam and western context (by emphasizing Motahari and Hobbes, Locke, Spinoza and berlin beliefs)

Abstract