What does it mean to be truly free? In this bold and ground-breaking exploration of human freedom, Laura Davidson challenges us to contemplate the true nature of liberty. In doing so, she leads us to question many things we may think we know about the human condition and the world around us.
Genuine freedom starts with an understanding we have freedom of the will. And yet many present-day scientists and philosophers argue that free will is merely an illusion. Their claim is that the activity of the brain is a purely physical process, analogous to the operation of a computer. But this implies we are mere automatons and cannot be held morally responsible for what we do. Moreover, if human thought and action is strictly deterministic, then this seriously threatens the notion of a genuinely free society.
The Logic of Freedom is a pioneering exploration of human liberty that counters the deterministic narrative and argues strongly in favor of free will. Drawing on consciousness studies and the philosophy of mind, Davidson advances a revolutionary theory for why free will is real, not illusory, and explains how it comes to be shaped but never determined by biological instincts and environmental factors. At the heart of the book is an inspiring vision of a genuinely free society, a society that can be realized when we accept that the initiation of aggression is always illegitimate, no matter how or where it originates. This principle, Davidson maintains, is the bedrock of true freedom. She reaches startling and thought-provoking conclusions on the relationship between law, personal morality, and society, challenging some of the most basic foundations of modern polity, and ends with addressing perhaps the most important issue of all: the meaning of absolute truth. The Logic of Freedom is a clarion call to recognize and respect our inalienable right to freedom and personal autonomy. A must read for anyone who believes in the power of human choice and the dream of a society grounded in genuine liberty. Join Davidson on a journey to unlock the secrets of a free world in this ground-breaking and original book.Praise for the book:
"With the introduction of this new tour de force of hers, Laura Davidson significantly broadens her horizons and takes accurate aim at issues such as free will, human freedom, the mind-body problem, evolution, cooperation, human action, law, morality, and much, much more. She does so in her usual manner with brilliance, verve, and verstehen. Read this book from cover to cover. You will be inspired." --- Walter E. Block, Harold E. Wirth Scholar Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics at Loyola University, New Orleans.
"Laura Davidson is one of the best libertarian philosophers writing today, and her new book The Logic of Freedom is full of challenging arguments from many different fields. I highly recommend it." --- David Gordon, Senior Fellow, Ludwig von Mises Institute.