Mind Chat Kevin Mitchell: Do We Have Free Will?
Apr 28, 2024
Kevin Mitchell, an Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin and author of 'Free Agents: How Evolution Gave us Free Will', dives deep into the fascinating intersection of free will and neuroscience. He discusses how genetics and brain wiring shape our decisions and personality. The conversation tackles complex ideas such as determinism, indeterminacy, and the philosophical implications of quantum mechanics. Through engaging banter, Mitchell and the hosts unfold the nuanced relationship between biology and the essence of human agency.
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Neuroscience Grounds Free Will
- Kevin Mitchell argues the brain's complex genetic wiring explains decision-making traits, challenging the notion of determinism.
- He promotes a non-reductive physicalist view where the 'self' emerges as a causal agent with free will.
Physics Does Not Imply Determinism
- Mitchell rejects determinism based on physics, highlighting quantum indeterminacy and limits on defining system states.
- He claims the future is 'radically open,' opposing classical deterministic assumptions.
Emergence Enables Agent Causation
- Indeterminacy at low levels allows macroscopic causation and emergent properties to exist.
- Agent-level causation is real and governs brain function beyond micro-level physics.
