> “Contra-causal” or “libertarian” free will is a fantasy. But what follows from that? Nothing whatever about moral responsibility or the justification of punis

> “Contra-causal” or “libertarian” free will is a fantasy. But what follows from that? Nothing whatever about moral responsibility or the justification of punishment, for instance. I think Coyne, Harris, et al would contest this. If someone cuts me off in traffic my first instinct is to get angry at them, to blame them and wish ill of them. But if we "rewind the tape" and it happens again and again then it's hard to rationalize my negative response. What follows is a more compassionate stance. That's pretty significant. I think Dennett misses Harris' larger project which is to better understand ourselves and others. His meditation project, Waking Up, speaks to the very same concerns Dennett articulates in this article regarding sources of distraction like social media.