Benjamin Libet
contemporaryNeuroscience of Consciousness1916 – 2007
Benjamin Libet (1916-2007) was an American neuroscientist whose pioneering experiments on the timing of conscious will and brain activity became foundational to contemporary debates on free will and consciousness. His discovery that readiness potentials precede conscious awareness of decision-making challenged traditional notions of voluntary action and agency.
Notable Achievements
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Conducted the landmark Libet experiments on conscious will and readiness potential
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Demonstrated that brain activity precedes conscious awareness of decisions by ~350ms
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Proposed the concept of 'conscious veto' or 'free won't' as a preserved form of agency
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Authored 'Mind Time: The Temporal Factor in Consciousness' (2004)
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Received the Virtual Nobel Prize in Psychology from the University of Klagenfurt (2003)