Wilton, Richard

About the author: Richard Wilton was awarded his PhD at Exeter University. He then moved to The University of Texas, where he was an assistant professor in psychology. He is now a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Dundee, Scotland.

Consciousness, Free Will, and the Explanation of Human Behavior

2000 0-7734-7682-2
This book describes a theory of human behavior in which consciousness plays a role in the production of behavior. The assumption that behaviour is to be explained solely by reference to causal process is rejected, and, instead, it is supposed that human beings adaptively exercise free will. This supposition is articulated using a number of novel concepts, which play a critical role in accounting for consciousness. Additional implications of the theory, concerning intentionality and the occurrence of affect are explored, and it is suggested that the theory ties these and consciousness together.