The hosts of the Brown Table Talk podcast introduce themselves and their mission to empower women of color in the workplace. They also discuss the flaws in the current criminal justice system, arguing that punishment should not be seen as a virtue and suggesting alternative approaches to protect society without demeaning individuals who have caused harm.
Do we have free will? Do we have a choice in what we do? Philosophers and theologians have debated these questions for centuries; Robert Sapolsky answered them when he was 14. Free will, he concluded, simply does not exist.
Robert is now in his mid-sixties. He has degrees from Harvard and Rockefeller University; he won a MacArthur “genius” award; and he’s a professor at Stanford, where he holds joint appointments in biology, neurology, and neurosurgery. But despite how much time has passed and how long his CV has grown, he never lost his youthful fascination with free will — or our lack thereof — so he decided to write a book about it. It’s called “Determined,” and in addition to assembling a formidable case against free will, Robert makes the intriguing argument that if we can abandon our illusion of volition, we can build a more humane world.
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We’re hosting a live taping in New York City on January 31st. Come on by! We’d love to meet you. You can learn more here.