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Daniel Dennett on Religion
Daniel Dennett is a known atheist, who has had many discussions about religion. He often argues that theism is non compatible with naturalism, or evolution. He views religion as an ancient tradition, with no basis on reality. And often makes sharp-witted comments that creationism could have been attributed to extraterrestrial beings; clearly mocking his religious leaning counterparts. Dennett was a pioneer of the atheist movement early in the 21st century. -
Dennett's Contribution to Folk Psychology
Daniel Dennett emphasized that " it is legitimate to use folk psychology concepts of belief and desire in order to identify patterns of behavior and to provide an explanation for them. This legitimacy can be described as practical because it is based upon an evolutionary theory of the brain, according to which the mind has developed effective strategies for acting in the world. Bertrand, Frédéric. “The Contribution of Daniel C. Dennett’s Philosophy of Mind to French Cognitive Policy Analysis. -
Daniel Dennett & Free Will
Dennett has been a prominent figure about the topic of free will. There are three general views: incompatibilism ( deny determinism) determinist (everything is determine by the laws of nature including free will), and Dennett's compatibilism view which states that determinism and free will are compatible. He has been an advocate for this view and has debate it with other intellectuals who support opposing views. Verdict is still out on where science will settle. https://youtu.be/joCOWaaTj4A -
Daniel Dennett & Consciousness
Dennett wrote many books about this complex question. That is understanding consciousness and its relation with free will. He explain the easy aspects of consciousness, like focus and the difference between awake and asleep as separate from how we perceive things. Who controls what we think about? Where is it located? How to we retrieve memories? He explains these occurrences and intents to correlate them with free will.