Freedom and Neurobiology – Reflections on Free Will, Language and Political Power (Columbia Themes in Philosophy) - Hardcover

This small book speaks volumes. It shows why John Searle is the most widely read of philosophers of mind today and why he has a particularly large following among brain scientists. Searle here illustrates that he owes his success to two fundamental talents rare among philosophers. First, he is eminently readable. He is not simply interested in exposing his vast erudition but in explaining in straightforward entertaining prose what the issues of free will, language, and brain sciences are about. Second, Searle is eminently empirical. He does not see philosophy of mind as a rarefied discipline but one that is continuous with physics, biology, and brain science. Searle sees the task of philosophy as posing problems in precise enough terms to permit of an empirical, scientific solution.

These two features are brilliantly in evidence in this marvelous book. But what makes these lectures particularly inviting for readers not yet addicted to Searle is that he provides here--for the first time--a broad introduction to the complete Searle. He combines in a thin volume the two major interests of his career: his early focus on language and his current focus on consciousness and free will. This is an irresistible treat for both the uninitiated and the cognoscenti.--Eric Kandel, Nobel Laureate, Columbia University

This engaging small volume serves as a token reminder of how masterfully Searle manages to combine philosophical innovation with clarity of prose.--Constantine Sandis "Metapsychology "

Searle is a beacon of accessible expertise, a throwback to a time when philosophy was part of the public debate.--David Papineau "Times Literary Supplement "

A brief clearly articulated account by one the world's foremost philosophers.--Henry Stapp "Journal of Consciousness Studies "

This book is a short but powerful presentation of views of the author... [it] includes interesting new arguments and is very useful... as an excellent and exceptionally clear summary of the free-will debate.--Joelle Proust, director of research, Institut Jean-Nicod, Paris

Clear and engaging.--Randall J. Russac "Science Books and Films "

Perhaps most importantly, it sets forth a suggestive vision of the systematic connections across various philosophical fields and avenues for their further exploration.--Daniel K. Silber "Philosophy in Review "

[A] slim, elegantly written and intellectually rigorous volume.--British Journal of Psychiatry

John Searle is Slusser Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of sixteen books, including Speech Acts; Expression and Meaning; Intentionality; Minds, Brains, and Science; The Rediscovery of the Mind; The Construction of Social Reality; Rationality in Action; and Mind: An Introduction. His works have been translated into twenty-one languages, and in 2004, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal.