Daniel M. Wegner Books
Daniel M. Wegner (1948–2013) was an American social psychologist known for his pioneering research on thought suppression, conscious will, and the psychology of mental control.
Known for: The Illusion of Conscious Will, The Mind Club: Who Thinks, What Feels, and Why It Matters
Books by Daniel M. Wegner
The Illusion of Conscious Will
In this influential work, Daniel M. Wegner explores the psychological and philosophical foundations of human agency, arguing that the experience of conscious will is largely an illusion created by the...
The Mind Club: Who Thinks, What Feels, and Why It Matters
The Mind Club explores how humans perceive the minds of others, animals, machines, and even the dead. Wegner and Gray examine the psychological and philosophical foundations of empathy, morality, and ...
Key Insights from Daniel M. Wegner
Historical and Philosophical Background
The belief in conscious will is one of the oldest and most persistent stories human beings have told. Philosophers like René Descartes drew a sharp line between mind and body, suggesting that the mental realm possesses a kind of causal sovereignty. To will an action, Descartes claimed, is to have a ...
From The Illusion of Conscious Will
The Theory of Apparent Mental Causation
The mind’s sense of will arises through a process I call apparent mental causation. Three factors combine to produce it. First, the thought about an action must precede the action in time. Second, the thought must be consistent with the action—in other words, the content of the thought must match wh...
From The Illusion of Conscious Will
The Mind Club: The Invisible Society of Minds
Imagine walking into a room filled with people, pets, and machines. Without realizing it, you begin sorting them into categories: who can feel pain, who can make decisions, who deserves respect, and who is just an object. That mental sorting is the membership process of the Mind Club. Daniel Wegner ...
From The Mind Club: Who Thinks, What Feels, and Why It Matters
Agency and Experience: The Two Dimensions of Mind
We discovered through years of research that people perceive minds along two fundamental dimensions: agency and experience. Agency is the capacity to act, choose, and plan; experience is the capacity to feel and suffer. Every entity—from a human being to a dog or a robot—is judged based on these two...
From The Mind Club: Who Thinks, What Feels, and Why It Matters
About Daniel M. Wegner
Daniel M. Wegner (1948–2013) was an American social psychologist known for his pioneering research on thought suppression, conscious will, and the psychology of mental control. He was a professor of psychology at Harvard University and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His work ...
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Daniel M. Wegner (1948–2013) was an American social psychologist known for his pioneering research on thought suppression, conscious will, and the psychology of mental control. He was a professor of psychology at Harvard University and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His work ...
Daniel M. Wegner (1948–2013) was an American social psychologist known for his pioneering research on thought suppression, conscious will, and the psychology of mental control. He was a professor of psychology at Harvard University and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His work profoundly influenced the fields of cognitive and social psychology.
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Daniel M. Wegner (1948–2013) was an American social psychologist known for his pioneering research on thought suppression, conscious will, and the psychology of mental control.
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