A new edition of Wegner's classic and controversial work, arguing that conscious will simply reminds of us the authorship of our actions.

Do we consciously cause our actions, or do they happen to us? Philosophers, psychologists, neuroscientists, theologians, and lawyers have long debated the existence of free will versus determinism. With the publication of The Illusion of Conscious Will in 2002, Daniel Wegner proposed an innovative and provocative answer: the feeling of conscious will is created by the mind and brain; it helps us to appreciate and remember our authorship of the things our minds and bodies do. Yes, we feel that we consciously will our actions, Wegner says, but at the same time, our actions happen to us. Although conscious will is an illusion (“the most compelling illusion”), it serves as a guide to understanding ourselves and to developing a sense of responsibility and morality. Wegner was unable to undertake a second edition of the book before his death in 2013; this new edition adds a foreword by Wegner's friend, the prominent psychologist Daniel Gilbert, and an introduction by Wegner's colleague Thalia Wheatley.
Approaching conscious will as a topic of psychological study, Wegner examines cases both when people feel that they are willing an act that they are not doing and when they are not willing an act that they in fact are doing in such phenomena as hypnosis, Ouija board spelling, and dissociative identity disorder.
Wegner's argument was immediately controversial (called “unwarranted impertinence” by one scholar) but also compelling. Engagingly written, with wit and clarity, The Illusion of Conscious Will was, as Daniel Gilbert writes in the foreword to this edition, Wegner's “magnum opus.”

快樂等不等於幸福？
如果生命只剩最後十分鐘，你會做些什麼？
花光私房錢 痛扁討厭的主管
乾掉珍藏的好酒 向暗戀已久的人表白
來場性愛派對 捐出所有積蓄給慈善機構
那有幾件你現在真的會去做？
我們不是應該樂在當下嗎？
讓《蘋果橘子經濟學》、《紫牛》、《決斷2秒間》、《引爆趨勢》、《EQ》暢銷作者讚不絕口的推理高手
所有關於你想知道的幸福快樂的秘密，吉伯特剖開大腦告訴你！
‧為什麼我們顧忌高膽固醇食物會影響健康，但吃到一客丁骨牛排時仍會比較開心？
‧為什麼我們為了退休後的安穩生活辛苦地「存老本」，退休後卻不一定感到幸福快樂？
人是唯一會思考未來的動物，所以每當我們想要什麼東西，不管是升遷、美女、豪宅、名車，還是一頓大餐，只要我們預期會得到，不論是發生在下一秒、下一分鐘、明天、下週，還是十年後，就能先預感到，一股幸福感油然而生……
但事實真的是這樣嗎？
小腦袋出了大問題！預測及想像未來是大腦的天職，結果卻總是「空歡喜一場」。做某些事得到快樂的體驗，事實上沒有想像中來得好。
吉伯特利用最新的科學研究，範圍遍及心理學、認知神經科學、哲學和行為經濟學，以此為經，並以他精采絕倫又詼諧易懂的高妙敘事手法為緯，一如高明的偵探，為你抽絲剝繭人類大腦想像力的盲點及錯誤的先見之明，這些使你誤解自己的未來，以為很快樂、滿意且幸福的錯覺。
實證科學研究是吉伯特的解密武器，這是他有所本的證據，當最後真相揭開的時候，你不僅會訝異於人類想像未來的獨特能力，甚至更能知道預測想像快樂的一刻來臨時，會有多麼歡喜，原來不過是一場誤會。對於一輩子時時刻刻都在追求的東西，我們所知是如此的少，你不會感到不解嗎？跟著《快樂為什麼不幸福？》一書，展開心理推理奇航，你會發現一讀再讀，卻樂趣無窮的所在。

Bringing to life scientific research in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, philosophy, and behavioral economics, this bestselling book reveals what scientists have discovered about the uniquely human ability to imagine the future, and about our capacity to predict how much we will like it when we get there.
• Why are lovers quicker to forgive their partners for infidelity than for leaving dirty dishes in the sink?
• Why will sighted people pay more to avoid going blind than blind people will pay to regain their sight?
• Why do dining companions insist on ordering different meals instead of getting what they really want?
• Why do pigeons seem to have such excellent aim; why can’t we remember one song while listening to another; and why does the line at the grocery store always slow down the moment we join it?
In this brilliant, witty, and accessible book, renowned Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert describes the foibles of imagination and illusions of foresight that cause each of us to misconceive our tomorrows and misestimate our satisfactions. With penetrating insight and sparkling prose, Gilbert explains why we seem to know so little about the hearts and minds of the people we are about to become.

Why are lovers quicker to forgive their partners for infidelity than for leaving dirty dishes in the sink? Why will sighted people pay more to avoid going blind than blind people will pay to regain their sight? Why do dining companions insist on ordering different meals instead of getting what they really want? Why do patients remember long medical procedures as being less painful than short ones? Why do home sellers demand prices they wouldn’t dream of paying if they were home buyers? Why are shoppers happier when they can’t get refunds? Why do pigeons seem to have such excellent aim; why can’t we remember one song while listening to another; and why does the line at the grocery store always slow down the moment we join it?
In this brilliant, witty, and accessible book, renowned Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert describes the foibles of imagination and illusions of foresight that cause each of us to misconceive our tomorrows and misestimate our satisfactions. Vividly bringing to life the latest scientific research in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, philosophy, and behavioral economics, Gilbert reveals what scientists have discovered about the uniquely human ability to imagine the future, and about our capacity to predict how much we will like it when we get there. With penetrating insight and sparkling prose, Gilbert explains why we seem to know so little about the hearts and minds of the people we are about to become.</p>