Search Results for: free will

Robert Sapolsky gets interviewed about his new book on free will and determinism

Robert Sapolsky’s book on free will and determinism came out five days ago, and already it’s making a big stir in the media. That’s expected because Sapolsky is already very well known for his previous popular books on biology (especially Behave) and also because free will and determinism are subjects that evoke strong reactions from … Continue reading Robert Sapolsky gets interviewed about his new book on free will and determinism

More on free will from Sabine Hossenfelder

Several readers, knowing of my interest in free will, sent me the link to the video at the bottom by physicist Sabine Hossenfelder. Thanks to all, and to Adrian, who sent the link first. My summary and analysis precede the video. In October of 2020, Hossenfelder declared that libertarian free will—i.e., the “I-could-have-done-otherwise-using-my-volition” form—didn’t exist. … Continue reading More on free will from Sabine Hossenfelder

Sean Carroll on free will

Below is a fairly new and short (7 minute) video by the Official Website Physicist® Sean Carroll on free will. As ever, he argues that we do have free will, but it’s a compatibilist form of free will. That is, he accept “physical determinism” as totally underlying our behavior (he means “the laws of physics, … Continue reading Sean Carroll on free will

Does “free will” comprise the things you do that aren’t coerced?

One commenter on my last post on free will asserted that free will consists of the set of things you do without being coerced. This is a very common claim, and indeed, it sounds sensible. If someone puts you in jail, you’re not going in “of your own free will.” If someone demands your wallet … Continue reading Does “free will” comprise the things you do that aren’t coerced?

James Gleick favorably reviews a book arguing that humans have libertarian free will

The idea that we have libertarian free will, in the real sense of “being able to make any one of several decisions at a given time”, has made a comeback in the pages of The New York Review of Books, a magazine that never quite recovered from the death of editor Robert B. Silvers in 2017. … Continue reading James Gleick favorably reviews a book arguing that humans have libertarian free will

A new magazine collaboration between Big Think and Templeton

Reader Dave called my attention to this new online magazine called “The Well”. Click on the screenshot to go to the site. And below that, the scary part (I’ve outlined it in red): Templeton!  There they go again with the Big Questions, except some of them are answerable this time (“no, we don’t have free … Continue reading A new magazine collaboration between Big Think and Templeton

LA Times: Philosopher critiques Sapolsky’s book on determinism, touts free will

I’m reading Robert Sapolsky’s new book Determined now and like it a lot, but of course I’ve always agree with him about the hegemony of naturalism. Because Sapolsky is a hard determinist, and many people, even philosophers, won’t accept the form of unrelenting naturalism that both Sapolsky and I accept, we can expect a lot of … Continue reading LA Times: Philosopher critiques Sapolsky’s book on determinism, touts free will

Julian Baggini on free will

Tom Clark called my attention to this essay on free will published by philosopher Julian Baggini in Psyche, adding this: If you’ve not already seen it, Baggini has about the best version of compatibilist free will I’ve come across, It’s explicit about determinism and how things change under it, including abandoning retribution. And yes, this is one of the best … Continue reading Julian Baggini on free will