Big Think You have no free will at all | Stanford professor Robert Sapolsky
26 snips
Jul 13, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, Robert Sapolsky, a Stanford professor and renowned expert in neurobiology, challenges the idea of free will. He argues that our biology and environment shape our decisions more than we realize. Sapolsky shares fascinating insights, like how hunger can skew judges' parole decisions. He explores the role of culture in parenting and identity, emphasizing its influence on behavior. His thoughts on redefining justice propose understanding individuals over punishment, offering a fresh perspective on accountability.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
No Free Will, Only Determinism
- Free will is an illusion; our decisions are shaped by biology and environment from conception onward.
- Our brain's frontal cortex, influenced more by environment than genetics, sculpts who we are and what we intend to do.
Distributed Causality Explained
- Human actions have distributed causality, woven from countless influences over time and space.
- These numerous small effects collectively form a causal cable as powerful as single identifiable causes.
Phineas Gage Brain Injury Case
- Phineas Gage's frontal cortex was damaged by an iron rod, dramatically changing his behavior.
- This case revealed how brain injury affects self-control and emotional regulation linked to behavior.
