Half a Second to Freedom: Do We Have Free Will? - Libet

This article introduces Benjamin Libet and his pioneering research on neurochronology, which shed new light on the problem of free will. The author explains why the brain requires as much as half a second of neural activity to generate a conscious impression, and how the backdating mechanism masks this delay, creating the illusion of perceiving the world in real time. The text juxtaposes classical experiments with modern models such as integrated information theory and the global workspace. The reader will discover whether consciousness is merely a belated observer of physiological processes or possesses real causative power, allowing it to veto impulses flowing from the subconscious.