On several different levels, from neurotransmitters through neuron firing rates to overall activity, the brain seems to "ramp up" before movements. This image depicts the readiness potential (RP), a ramping-up activity measured using EEG. The onset of the RP begins before the onset of a conscious intention or urge to act. Some have argued that this indicates the brain unconsciously commits to a decision before consciousness awareness. Others have argued that this activity is due to random fluctuations in brain activity, which drive arbitrary, purposeless movements.[1]
As medical and scientific technology has advanced, neuroscientists have become able to study the brains of living humans, allowing them to observe the brain's decision-making processes and revealing insights into human agency, moral responsibility, and consciousness.[2][3][4] One of the pioneering studies in this field was conducted by Benjamin Libet and colleagues in 1983[5] and has been the foundation of many studies in the years since.[citation needed] Other studies have attempted to predict the actions of participants before they happen,[6][7] explore how we know we are responsible for voluntary movements as opposed to being moved by an external force,[8] or how the role of consciousness in decision-making may differ depending on the type of decision being made.[9]
Some areas of the human brain implicated in mental disorders that might be related to free will. Area 25 refers to Brodmann's area 25, related to major depression.
Philosophers like Daniel Dennett and Alfred Mele question the language used by researchers, suggesting that "free will" means different things to different people (e.g., some notions of free will posit that free will is compatible with determinism,[10] while others do not). Dennett insists that many important and common conceptions of "free will" are compatible with the emerging evidence from neuroscience.[11][12][13][14]