--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The popular conception of free will seems…" description: "\"“The popular conception of free will seems to rest on two assumptions: (1) that each of us could have behaved differently than we did in the past, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/sam-harris-457_assumptions_the-popular-conception-of-free-will-seem_2785505.jpg" --- # The popular conception of free will seems to rest on two… ![“The popular conception of free will seems to rest on two assumptions: (1) that each of us could have behaved differently than we did in the past, and (2) that we are the conscious source of most of our thoughts and actions in the present.” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/sam-harris-457_assumptions_the-popular-conception-of-free-will-seem_2785505.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/sam-harris-457_assumptions_the-popular-conception-of-free-will-seem_2785505.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/sam-harris-457_assumptions_the-popular-conception-of-free-will-seem_2785505.jpg) > ““The popular conception of free will seems to rest on two assumptions: (1) that each of us could have behaved differently than we did in the past, and (2) that we are the conscious source of most of our thoughts and actions in the present.”” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Free will is often assumed to involve alternative possibilities and conscious control over thoughts and actions. **In simple terms:** Free will assumes choice and conscious control. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about autonomy. Themes philosophy psychology determinism Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - ethical debates - personal decision making - legal responsibility Key Concepts consciousness agency Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel truly in control? - What influences your choices? A Different Perspective Neuroscience suggests many decisions are unconscious. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assumptions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumptions/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Thoughts and actions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-and-actions/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Consider what it would take to actually have free will. You would need to be aware of all the factors that determine your thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/consider-what-it-would-take-to-actually-have-free-will-you-would-need/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Consciousness is observing your thoughts and actions so that you can live from true choice in the present moment rather than being run by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-harv-eker/consciousness-is-observing-your-thoughts-and-actions-so-that-you-can/) [T. Harv Eker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-harv-eker/) > [“the only way we change our belief is through our thoughts and actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-badami/the-only-way-we-change-our-belief-is-through-our-thoughts-and-actions/) [Rahul Badami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-badami/) > [“Imagine a world without words! Imagine a world without thoughts! Imagine a world without actions! If one day, God should mute all words, thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/imagine-a-world-without-words-imagine-a-world-without-thoughts/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [Without private thoughts and actions, we can never truly be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-twelve-hawks/without-private-thoughts-and-actions-we-can-never-truly-be-free/) [John Twelve Hawks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-twelve-hawks/) > [“You cannot progress beyond you current state, with the same thoughts and actions and that brought you there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udo-neumann/you-cannot-progress-beyond-you-current-state-with-the-same-thoughts/) Udo Neumann > [“One of the main functions of System 2 is to monitor and control thoughts and actions “suggested” by System 1,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/one-of-the-main-functions-of-system-2-is-to-monitor-and-control/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [They know how to work without waste of energy. In order to get the best that is within themselves, they learn to eliminate from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell/they-know-how-to-work-without-waste-of-energy-in-order-to-get-the/) [Walter Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell/) > [“Dream is the result of your thoughts and actions, but most people only have the thoughts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/traven-luc/dream-is-the-result-of-your-thoughts-and-actions-but-most-people-only/) Traven Luc > [“I want to inspire others by becoming an example and sharing my thoughts and actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-want-to-inspire-others-by-becoming-an-example-and-sharing-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [“Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/good-thoughts-and-actions-can-never-produce-bad-results-bad-thoughts/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [“How much better things would be if we all tried to mold and shape our own thoughts and actions rather than those of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-g-miller/how-much-better-things-would-be-if-we-all-tried-to-mold-and-shape-our/) [John G. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-g-miller/) > [“The problem is that we cannot recognize that what we say about out thoughts and actions is, at best, incoherent; we can and do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-rosenfield/the-problem-is-that-we-cannot-recognize-that-what-we-say-about-out/) Israel Rosenfield > [Let not the dirt of the sanskaras of your thoughts and deeds touch you, by surrendering every thought and act at the feet of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meher-baba/let-not-the-dirt-of-the-sanskaras-of-your-thoughts-and-deeds-touch/) [Meher Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meher-baba/) > [One must hold a deep sense of responsibility for his thoughts and actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishu/one-must-hold-a-deep-sense-of-responsibility-for-his-thoughts-and/) [Nishu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishu/) ## More by Sam Harris > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Your principal concern appears to be that the Creator of the universe will take offense at something people do while naked. This prudery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/your-principal-concern-appears-to-be-that-the-creator-of-the-universe/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“As manuals for contemplative understanding, the Bible and the Koran are worse than useless. Whatever wisdom can be found in their pages is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-manuals-for-contemplative-understanding-the-bible-and-the-koran/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“If your golf instructor were to insist that you shave your head, sleep no more than four hours each night, renounce sex, and subsist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/if-your-golf-instructor-were-to-insist-that-you-shave-your-head-sleep/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The fact that one can lose one's sense of self in an ocean of tranquility does not mean that one's consciousness is immaterial or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-fact-that-one-can-lose-one-s-sense-of-self-in-an-ocean-of/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The second commandment is "Thou shall not construct any graven images." Is this really the pinnacle of what we can achieve morally? The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“But the reality of consciousness appears irreducible. Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. Otherwise, we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/muslim-moderates-wherever-they-are-must-be-given-every-tool-necessary/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The idea that any one of our religions represents the infallible word of the One True God requires an encyclopedic ignorance of history, mythology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-idea-that-any-one-of-our-religions-represents-the-infallible-word/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“What could possibly cause billions of human beings to reconsider their religious beliefs? And yet, it is obvious that an utter revolution in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-could-possibly-cause-billions-of-human-beings-to-reconsider/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Explore all 543 Sam Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More Assumptions quotes > [There was a lot of stress and assumptions made without me even saying anything, which was very upsetting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-stevens/there-was-a-lot-of-stress-and-assumptions-made-without-me-even-saying/) [Craig Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-stevens/) > [When assumptions were made that I was going to bail out there was a little part of my brain that thought 'I am going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-stevens/when-assumptions-were-made-that-i-was-going-to-bail-out-there-was-a/) [Craig Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-stevens/) > [“One should not make more assumptions than are absolutely necessary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-kerner/one-should-not-make-more-assumptions-than-are-absolutely-necessary/) Ian Kerner > [I think facts remove assumptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-williams/i-think-facts-remove-assumptions/) [Monty Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-williams/) > [“While you judge me by my outward appearance I am silently doing the same to you, even though there's a ninety-percent chance that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/while-you-judge-me-by-my-outward-appearance-i-am-silently-doing-the/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“Civilizaton rests on the assumption that the universe is kindly disposed towards mankind and intended for our benefit. Imagine the upheaval were it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovegrove/civilizaton-rests-on-the-assumption-that-the-universe-is-kindly/) [James Lovegrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovegrove/) > [For me, filmmaking is not about making statements but about exposing human behavior so people are eager enough to start thinking on their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yorgos-lanthimos/for-me-filmmaking-is-not-about-making-statements-but-about-exposing/) [Yorgos Lanthimos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yorgos-lanthimos/) > [“The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth. We could swear they are real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz/the-problem-with-making-assumptions-is-that-we-believe-they-are-the/) [Miguel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz/) > [People just assume, over the years, that soccer players are not too intelligent. As with most assumptions, they're wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckham/people-just-assume-over-the-years-that-soccer-players-are-not-too/) [David Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckham/) > [The explanation requiring the fewest assumptions is most likely to be correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-explanation-requiring-the-fewest-assumptions-is-most-likely-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Words in the head are sticky and social creatures – when you finally pull one out, you're liable to get lots of bits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social-creatures-when-you-finally/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“The professor argues against measuring effectiveness in the shallow short-term in the "fierce humanities," for teaching that seeks not merely learning, but unlearning, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-nelson/the-professor-argues-against-measuring-effectiveness-in-the-shallow/) Cary Nelson > [I'm like anyone; I make a lot of my assumptions about actors I don't know from what I read about them. And then I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strong/i-m-like-anyone-i-make-a-lot-of-my-assumptions-about-actors-i-don-t/) [Mark Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strong/) > [One thing that irritates me is when people kind of make assumptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/one-thing-that-irritates-me-is-when-people-kind-of-make-assumptions/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [“To assume is to presume.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-morgan/to-assume-is-to-presume/) [Jude Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-morgan/) [Browse all 393 Assumptions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumptions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The popular conception of free will seems to rest on two assumptions: (1) that each of us could have behaved differently than we did in the past, and (2) that we are the conscious source of most of our thoughts and actions in the present.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sam Harris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-popular-conception-of-free-will-seems-to-rest-on-two-assumptions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assumptions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-popular-conception-of-free-will-seems-to-rest-on-two-assumptions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/sam-harris-457_assumptions_the-popular-conception-of-free-will-seem_2785505.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/sam-harris-457_assumptions_the-popular-conception-of-free-will-seem_2785505.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/sam-harris-457_assumptions_the-popular-conception-of-free-will-seem_2785505.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The popular conception of free will seems to rest on two assumptions: (1) that each of us could have behaved…” — Sam Harris", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sam Harris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The popular conception of free will...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-popular-conception-of-free-will-seems-to-rest-on-two-assumptions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-popular-conception-of-free-will-seems-to-rest-on-two-assumptions/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```