Alfred Mele to lead philosophical discussions on 'Free Will and Science'

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
March 27, 2014

Alfred Mele, the William H. and Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University, will visit Texas State University March 31-April 2 for a series of discussions on the topic of free will and science.

Mele will speak on the topic "On the Situationist Threat to Free Will" in the LBJ Teaching Theater at 12:30 p.m. March 31, participate in the panel discussion "Free Will: Skeptical Challenges and Replies" 12:30 p.m. April 1 in room 111 of Derrick Hall, and "Free Will and Neuroscience: What Do Old-School and New-Wave Studies Show?" 3:30 p.m. April 1 in room 308 of the Undergraduate Academic Center.

Mele is the author of many major publications on the free will issue, including his recent A Dialogue on Free Will and Science. This book will be the basis for a panel discussion at the San Marcos Public Library at 3:30 p.m. April 2, led by philosophy graduate students in the applied philosophy and ethics program.

Mele’s book, Effective Intentions: The Power of Conscious Will, won the American Philosophical Association’s Sanders Book Prize in 2013 for the best book in philosophy of mind, metaphysics and epistemology in the analytic tradition. He is also the director of "Big Questions on Free Will," a four-year project funded by the Templeton Foundation to explore questions related to free will in three spheres: science (especially neuroscience and social psychology), philosophy and theology.

For more information, contact the Department of Philosophy at (512) 245-3143 or via email at jc28@txstate.edu.