John Randolph Lucas
Oxford philosopher: in his view, Gödel's theorem shows that a mind is not a machine.
Life
British philosopher (1929-2020), fellow of Merton College, Oxford, from 1960 to 1996. He wrote on freedom, time, politics and the philosophy of science. His article "Minds, Machines and Gödel" (1961) argues that Gödel's incompleteness theorem shows that a mind cannot be fully explained as a machine.
Main works
Argues that Gödel's theorem refutes mechanism.
Defends free will against determinism.
Studies the nature of time and space and their relation to physics.
In his own words
« Gödel's theorem seems to me to prove that Mechanism is false, that is, that minds cannot be explained as machines. »
Positions
click a row to see the evidenceAn Anglican Christian, he wrote on grace and on God's relation to time and freedom.
Lucas, Freedom and Grace (1976)
Gödel's theorem shows that a mind cannot be a machine, so the mind is not just mechanism; he does not defend a full dualism.
Lucas, Minds, Machines and Gödel (1961)
Human beings are free agents whose choices are not fixed in advance; determinism fails.
Lucas, The Freedom of the Will (1970)