Simplifying Complexity Do you have free will? - Part 1
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Feb 3, 2025 
In this thought-provoking discussion, Kevin Mitchell, an Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin, delves into the origins of free will. He explores the evolution of behavior from single-celled organisms to complex humans. The interplay between neurodevelopment and moral responsibility is highlighted, alongside the idea of living beings as information processors. Kevin also discusses how evolutionary pressures shape decision-making, revealing how instinct evolves into learned behavior over time. It's a fascinating journey into the nature of cognition!
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Life as a Dynamical Process
- Life is a dynamical process, a pattern of chemical activity that maintains itself.
- Organisms constantly do work to stay ordered and alive, defying the second law of thermodynamics.
Sensing and Responding
- Organisms need a barrier, like a membrane, to distinguish them from the world.
- They must also sense and respond to external information to survive.
Holistic Agency
- Living organisms, unlike robots, are inherently driven to stay alive.
- Their actions are holistic responses integrating multiple information streams and internal states.