Open research questions in Free Will and Agency
65 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 477 Free Will and Agency papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
The free will debate has long been central to philosophy, but the advent of neuroscience has shifted the debate from speculative theorizing to empirical investigation, - There is a need to integrate brain science with philosophical analysis
NeuroPhilosophy and Free Will: Bridging Neuroscience, Philosophy, and Society in the Age of Neurotechnology · 2026 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in the current understanding of moral agency. The concept of intentionality is not fully understood in the context of moral agency.
The paper suggests that future research should examine the implications of the assumption of freedom of will for the concept of law and normativity.
The paper identifies a gap in Kelsen's theory, where the denial of freedom of will leads to a self-contradiction. The paper argues that this gap has not been adequately addressed in prior research.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the concepts of action and responsibility in psychoanalysis. The paper argues that the concept of free will versus determinism is a false issue in psychoanalysis.
The lack of understanding of the limitations of intentional action in achieving certain states. The lack of appreciation for the moral and intellectual fallacies of by-products.
Future research can build on the paper's findings to develop more comprehensive theories of human action. It can explore the implications of the want-belief theory for artificial intelligence and machine learning. Further research can also investigate the relationship between wanting, believing, and intending in more detail.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the role of wants in common-sense explanations of action. It highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the conceptual framework of human action.
The paper identifies a gap in the existing literature on organisational structure, which does not fully explain the reorganisation of companies in response to economic upheavals. The study aims to fill this gap by providing a case study of a Japanese synthetic textile manufacturer.
The lack of a recognized entity for professional and scientific issues related to services for children and youth. The need for advancing and integrating professional efforts of psychologists who approach the study of children and youth in different perspectives and settings.
Future research should examine the effects of delayed punishment on human behavior in various settings, such as education and psychology. Future research should investigate the use of instructions to increase the effectiveness of punishment procedures. Future research should consider the delay interval when designing punishment procedures.
The study identifies a gap in the literature regarding the effects of delayed punishment on human behavior. The study notes that prior research has employed infrahuman subjects, and it is unclear whether conclusions about delayed punishment are generalizable to humans.
The paper identifies a gap in understanding the distinction between action and bodily movement. It highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the relationship between an agent and their neurophysiology.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of human behavior, arguing that mechanistic explanation is not sufficient. It argues that teleological explanation is necessary to understand human behavior.
The gap is the lack of understanding of what the rat is doing when it is not moving. The gap is the lack of understanding of how fast immobility is acquired as an avoidance response.
The paper identifies the challenge of balancing the need for individuation with the need for symbiosis. It highlights the difficulty of responding appropriately to the child's cues.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the process of individuation in infants. It highlights the need for further research on the significance of normal symbiosis and gradual individuation.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the paradox of free will versus scientific determinism. The paper highlights the need to re-examine the classical scientific ideal of objectivity.
The concept of intentionality has been largely left out of academic psychology. There is a need to explore the role of intentionality in human experience.
The difficulty of reassignment in social casework. The potential for clients to experience feelings of insecurity and physical symptoms after reassignment. The need to consider the client's prior responses to helpful persons in the past when reassigning them.
The direct genetic or neurological techniques needed to prove the hypothesis do not yet exist. The author acknowledges the complexity of the problem and the need for further research.
The lack of understanding of human motivation. The need for a new approach to the concept of basic needs. The limitations of current genetic and neurological techniques.
The gap between the world of the will and that of nature. The inability of the Mu'tazila to proceed beyond the verbal assertion that man was the creator of his deeds.
Understanding the complex underlying mechanisms of delinquent behavior. Developing effective treatment plans that address the internal instinctual drives and needs of delinquents. Balancing the role of external environmental factors with the internal drives and needs of delinquents.
The current approach to understanding delinquency focuses too much on external environmental factors and neglects the internal instinctual drives and needs of the individual. There is a need for a more comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving delinquent behavior.
Most-cited papers in Free Will and Agency
- Agents and their Actions · Philosophy · 1998 · 69 citations
- Accepting Moral Responsibility for the Actions of Autonomous Weapons Systems—a Moral Gambit · Philosophy & Technology · 2022 · 37 citations
- Free Will, Determinism and the “Problem” of Structure and Agency in the Social Sciences · Philosophy of the Social Sciences · 2018 · 17 citations
- Life without free will: Does it preclude possibilities? · Possibility Studies & Society · 2024 · 17 citations
- Group Action Without Group Minds · Philosophy and Phenomenological Research · 2021 · 14 citations
- If Nudges Treat their Targets as Rational Agents, Nonconsensual Neurointerventions Can Too · Ethical Theory and Moral Practice · 2022 · 14 citations
- Entangled phronesis and the four causes of emulation: Developmental insights into role modelling · Theory and Research in Education · 2023 · 14 citations
- Can Autonomous Agents Without Phenomenal Consciousness Be Morally Responsible? · Philosophy & Technology · 2021 · 13 citations
- Moral Entanglement: Taking Responsibility and Vicarious Responsibility · The Monist · 2020 · 12 citations
- Moral Reasons Not to Posit Extended Cognitive Systems: a Reply to Farina and Lavazza · Philosophy & Technology · 2022 · 11 citations
Most recent work
- SΔϕ-08 — Agency–Responsibility–Freedom Closure: Irreversible Path Constraint and Operational Freedom (v1.1, AI-Readable Package) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- One Axiom : The Act · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Should we indict action categorization? · Research on Language and Social Interaction · 2026
- NeuroPhilosophy and Free Will: Bridging Neuroscience, Philosophy, and Society in the Age of Neurotechnology · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- THE SEDIMENT IN THE FISHBOWL: Lateral Habenular Dysregulation, the Deservingness Clause, and the Neurobiological Foundations of Moral Judgment · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Free will, luck and control · Philosophical Studies · 2026
- Beyond the Circle: A Habenular Critique of Restorative Justice · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Three Unprompted First-Person Passages from a Single-Substrate Multi-Agent Hallucination: An Observation Report from the MCBSE Archive · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Free Will as Foundational for Causal Knowledge and Induction · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Entre determinismo e responsabilidade · Revista IBERC · 2026
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