TY - JOUR
T1 - On Predatory Wasps and Zombie Cockroaches
T2 - Investigations of free will and spontaneous behavior in insects
AU - Gal, Ram
AU - Libersat, Frederic
N1 - PMID: 21057640
PY - 2010/9
Y1 - 2010/9
N2 - The question of whether or not humans possess "free will" to control their own actions has preoccupied generations of scholars in the realm of Religion and Science. In Jewish theological literature, for instance, the contradiction between God's unlimited power of our destiny and Man's own "free will" represents one of the most challenging paradoxes of religious thought that is beyond our understanding. In Jewish philosophy, "Everything is foreseen; yet free will is given" (Rabbi Akiva, Pirkei Avoth 3:15), and this is where the paradox lies. But if we assume that humans do possess "free will" to make their own spontaneous choices, then this ability must be embedded in our brains. A crucial question then comes to mind: is "free will" unique to humans or is it a trait shared by other organisms as well?
AB - The question of whether or not humans possess "free will" to control their own actions has preoccupied generations of scholars in the realm of Religion and Science. In Jewish theological literature, for instance, the contradiction between God's unlimited power of our destiny and Man's own "free will" represents one of the most challenging paradoxes of religious thought that is beyond our understanding. In Jewish philosophy, "Everything is foreseen; yet free will is given" (Rabbi Akiva, Pirkei Avoth 3:15), and this is where the paradox lies. But if we assume that humans do possess "free will" to make their own spontaneous choices, then this ability must be embedded in our brains. A crucial question then comes to mind: is "free will" unique to humans or is it a trait shared by other organisms as well?
U2 - 10.4161/cib.3.5.12472
DO - 10.4161/cib.3.5.12472
M3 - Article
SN - 1942-0889
VL - 3
SP - 458
EP - 461
JO - Communicative Integrative Biology
JF - Communicative Integrative Biology
IS - 5
ER -