psycholar: As humans, we like to think that our decisions are under our conscious control — that we have free will. Philosophers have debated that concept for centuries, and now Haynes and other experimental neuroscientists are raising a new challenge. They argue that consciousness of a decision may be a mere biochemical afterthought, with no influence whatsoever on a person’s actions. According to this logic, they say, free will is an illusion. “We feel we choose, but we don’t,” says Patrick Haggard, a neuroscientist at University College London. This quote, is from this story, and it is worth a read if you are interested in free will research (the original papers are linked within the article). I get a lot of questions about my Ph.D. project, and the article linked above is a good read to get the gist of what I study for my Ph.D. In general terms, I look at decision making processes, using advanced statistics and brain imaging technology. I will eventually sit down and write it out properly (read: in normal english not written to impress research councils only), but for now here is the official blurb for my first project if you want to read it. illusion “We feel we choose, but we don’t,” says Patrick Haggard, a neuroscientist at University College London.

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