Cognitive neuroscience—the study of biological processes underlying cognition—has a profound impact on politics and law, and on popular conceptions of psychology, free will and the origins of knowledge. Neuroimaging and neurostimulation techniques allow neuroscientists to observe and manipulate the inner workings of the living human brain. This talk includes a basic overview of the brain and techniques used to study it, and why most neuroscientists view free will as an illusion—and knowledge, values and beliefs as innate.