Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal Aaron Schurger: "No. Neuroscience Does NOT Threaten Free Will."
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Oct 30, 2025 In this conversation, neuroscientist Aaron Schurger debunks the notion that the brain's 'readiness potential' undermines free will, reinterpreting it as stochastic neural noise. He clarifies the differences between spontaneous and reactive actions while addressing the implications of the Libet experiment. Schurger also explores the role of consciousness in initiating movement and discusses theories like Attention Schema Theory, emphasizing how it reshapes our understanding of personal identity and consciousness mechanisms.
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Readiness Potential Reinterpreted
- The readiness potential is a slow buildup of neural activity before self-initiated actions lasting up to a second or more.
- Aaron Schurger argues it reflects lead-up activity, not the decision outcome, challenging the usual causal interpretation.
Selection Explains Early Buildups
- Selection bias can make antecedent signals appear causal when they only index preconditions.
- Schurger uses a 'flu monitor' analogy to show why aligning to events creates apparent early buildups.
Selection Bias In Libet Experiments
- Libet-style studies select epochs that end in a movement and discard all non-movement epochs, biasing averages.
- That selection produces reliable antecedents (like the readiness potential) without proving causation.
