Saul Smilansky presents an original new approach to the problem of free will, which lies at the heart of morality and self-understanding. He maintains that the key to the problem is the role played by illusion. Smilansky boldly claims that we could not live adequately with a complete awareness of the truth about human freedom and that illusion lies at the center of the human condition.

"I enjoyed this book...Smilansky shows a remarkable breadth of learning and an admirable ability to address what needs addressing without engaging in make-work projects. The second half of the book, devoted to Illusionism, is interesting reading."--Richard Double, Mind

"We should recognise the interest and power of Smilansky's project (and achievement)...integrating the concern with the possibility of (genuine) agency into the concerns of applied philosophy."--Graham McFee, Res Publica

"Saul Smilansky's Free Will and Illusion is a large, ambitious, and thoughtful book which takes the debate in new directions, while also illuminating more traditional puzzles ...Smilansky devotes considerable space to a subtle and thorough exploration of the role of illusion in our views about free

will...A distinctive and helpful feature of Smilansky's approach is to widen the scope of free will to include issues in 'distributive' as well as 'retributive' justice."--John Martin Fischer, Times Literary Supplement

"[A] complex and subtle new work, an original and challenging book which anyone interested in the free will problem will wish to read."--James Lenman, Iyyun

Saul Smilansky is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Haifa, Israel.

1. Introduction; PART I: METAPHYSICAL AND ETHICAL FOUNDATIONS; 2. The Core Conception; 3. Why Not Compatibilism? 4. Why Not Libertarian Free Will? 5. Why Not Hard Determinism? 6. The Fundamental Dualism; PART II: THE ROLE OF ILLUSION; 7. The Positive Importance of Illusion; 8. Explorations in the

Land of Illusion; 9. Why Not Reactive Naturalism? 10. Some Further Benefits; 11. Some Additional Problems; 12. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.