ABSTRACT
While the dierence in the size of the human brain as compared to that of other primates is a dierence in degree, this is a dierence in degree that has enormous implications for the types or kinds of things that humans are capable of doing in contrast to other animals. us, there is a biological basis for believing that humans may possess a capacity for libertarian autonomy that no other animals possess. Furthermore, when
one considers the fact that humans alone write novels, compose symphonies, work in nuclear physics, and so on, it should come as no surprise to nd that we possess another capacity, libertarian autonomy, that makes us dierent from the other animals. (Ibid.)
But I believe that the failure of all but a few libertarians and compatibilists to give serious thought to the evolution of free will represents a fundamental omission on their part. Like all living beings, we are creatures who evolved, and so if we have free will, as both the libertarian and the compatibilist insist that we do, then it must have evolved. Even if there were no problems whatsoever with the concept of free will, one would have thought that libertarians and compatibilists would have wanted to provide an explanation of some sort as to how we evolved from creatures with no free will, such as primitive organisms living in the sea, to creatures with free will, such as ourselves. But given that there is considerable disagreement about what sort of free will we have, and that this raises considerable doubts that we actually have it (all of which should be evident from the discussion of free will thus far), such an explanation ought to be a priority for both compatibilists and libertarians. For if they cannot explain how free will evolved – and the answer to this question is by no means obvious – then we have a signicant reason for doubting that we actually have free will. Given this, the lack of any explanation as to how free will evolved is not just a point of embarrassment to the free will advocate; it is rather a profound weakness in his position.
