Abstract

ROMERO SANCHEZ, Víctor Manuel. Do Libet’s experiments deny the existence of free will?. Sig. Fil [online]. 2016, vol.18, n.36, pp.88-117. ISSN 1665-1324.

In his laboratory, Benjamin Libet once requested some participants to press a button whenever they choose. With an EEG, he tried to measure the sequence amongst the desire to move the wrist, the activation of the cerebral motor area and the movement. The results seem to deny the existence of free will: First comes the brain activity, then the conscious desire to move the wrist and, finally, the movement. Our brain would decide our actions, not ourselves. In this article I will question the conceptual frame of such explanation, emphasizing the notions of will, the mind-body problem, and, most importantly, the structure of consciousness.

Keywords : free will; consciousness; mind-body problem; readiness potential.