Inquiring Minds Don’t Panic, but Robert Sapolsky Says There’s No Free Will
19 snips
Oct 18, 2023 
Robert Sapolsky, a Stanford professor of biology, neurology, and neurosurgery, discusses his new book on life without free will. Topics include the illusion of free will, emergence and consciousness, societal notions of control, motivation and behavior, and the positive effects of social grooming.
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Intent Has A History
- Free will debates miss the crucial question: where did the intent originate?
- Most influences on intent occurred before conscious awareness and outside any individual's control.
Turtles All The Way Down
- Determinism is a seamless chain of causes from genes to culture influencing behavior.
- There is no identifiable crack in that chain where magic free will could be inserted.
Chaos Is Not Free Will
- Chaotic systems can be unpredictable but remain deterministic.
- Unpredictability does not equal a source of free will.