The Problem of Determinism Versus Freedom

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The problem of determinism versus freedom, is resolved by saying we are both determined and free. We are determined, but we are determined by ourselves, and that is freedom. So you would say there are degrees of freedom,. Then lower organisms have fewer degrees of freedom, but they have, yes, butreand also, we say the self is an entity. The self is as an entity, is an illusion. But a m i have self awareness. I can distinguish between, you know, myself and my environment. There's no structure which you can call the self, like the liver or the brain, or the or the lungs.

Michael Shermer speaks with scientist, educator, activist, and accomplished author, Fritjof Capra, about the evolution of his thinking over five decades. In this conversation, based on Capra’s book, Patterns of Connection, Shermer and Capra discuss: what it means to be spiritual in an age of science, nuclear energy and why Capra thinks we don’t need it and Shermer thinks we do, 50 years of progress or regress, limitations of models and theories of reality, limitations of analogies between western physics and eastern mysticism, mind and consciousness, and why Capra is hopeful for the future of humanity.