
The Free Will Show
Do any of us really have free will? What does it mean to have free will, anyway? Is free will compatible with determinism? Hasn’t science disproved free will? How could we have free will if God exists and foreknows everything that we will ever do? The Free Will Show provides a beginner-friendly introduction to the topic of free will while at the same time exposing listeners to cutting-edge developments on the topic. Hosted by a couple of philosophers, Taylor Cyr and Matt Flummer, The Free Will Show features interviews with guests on a diverse array of issues relating to free will, including issues in science and theology. thefreewillshow.com
Latest episodes

Aug 8, 2022 • 42min
Episode 41: Introduction to Freedom and Foreknowledge with Simon Kittle
This episode is the first in a new season on the puzzle of divine foreknowledge and human free will. Our guest, Simon Kittle, introduces the problem of freedom and foreknowledge and gives an overview of the responses to this problem that we’ll cover in more detail in the remaining episodes of this season.Simon's website: https://www.simonkittle.com/ Simon's book (with Leigh Vicens), God and Human Freedom: https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/god-and-human-freedom/D0EE63BB14A6F9C4F85DB3CFE347E891 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Jul 21, 2022 • 28min
Bonus Episode: 50 Free Will Puzzles with Garrett Pendergraft
In this bonus episode, we talk with Garrett Pendergraft about his new book, Free Will and Human Agency: 50 Puzzles, Paradoxes, and Though Experiments. We’ll be back next month with season 5, which focuses on the problem of human freedom and divine foreknowledge.Garrett's website: https://seaver.pepperdine.edu/academics/faculty/garrett-pendergraft/Garrett's book: https://www.routledge.com/Free-Will-and-Human-Agency-50-Puzzles-Paradoxes-and-Thought-Experiments/Pendergraft/p/book/9780367641948 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

May 16, 2022 • 43min
Episode 40: Moral Luck and Transformative Experiences with Marcela Herdova
In this episode, we talk with Marcela Herdova about moral luck and transformative experiences—the kind of experiences that fundamentally change who we are. Marcela's website: https://marcelaherdova.com/Marcela's paper, "Transformative Moral Luck": https://www.pdcnet.org/msp/content/msp_2019_0043_0162_0180Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

May 2, 2022 • 32min
Episode 39: The Vagueness of "Free Will" with Santiago Amaya
In this episode, we talk with Santiago Amaya about an argument for the conclusion that "free will" is a vague term. We also talk about what Santiago thinks are some of the implications of this conclusion for the free will debate.Santiago's PhilPeople profile: https://philpeople.org/profiles/santiago-amayaSantiago's podcast, "Free Will Matters": https://freewill.uniandes.edu.co/podcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Apr 18, 2022 • 34min
Episode 38: Omissions and Frankfurt Cases with John Stigall
In this episode, we talk with John Stigall about omissions and Frankfurt cases. John defends the view that, while we can be morally responsible for performing positive actions even if we lack the ability to do otherwise, moral responsibility for omissions requires the ability to do otherwise.John's website: https://philpeople.org/profiles/john-stigall John's article, "Causation, Norms, and Omissions: A Study of Causal Judgments (with Randolph Clarke, Joshua Shepherd, Robyn Repko Waller, and Chris Zarpentine): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09515089.2013.815099Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Apr 4, 2022 • 38min
Episode 37: Mental Illness and Moral Responsibility with Sofia Jeppsson
In this episode, we talk with Sofia Jeppsson about why we should not take mental illness to function as an exemption from moral responsibility and why we shouldn’t take what P. F. Strawson called the “objective stance” towards those who are mentally ill.Sofia's departmental website: https://www.umu.se/en/staff/sofia-jeppsson/ Sofia's personal website: https://www.sofiajeppsson.com/Sofia's article, "Psychosis and Intelligibility": https://muse.jhu.edu/article/806103Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Mar 21, 2022 • 59min
Episode 36: Manipulation, Bypassing, and Nonconsensual Neurocorrectives with Gabriel De Marco
In this episode, we talk with Gabriel De Marco about various manipulation cases and different ways philosophers have responded to them. We also talk about real-life cases of interventions that are similar to the manipulations in philosophical thought experiments.Gabriel's website: https://www.neuroethics.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-gabriel-de-marco?filter_types-688386[]=book,chapterGabe's paper, "Nonconsensual Neurocorrectives, Bypassing, and Free Action" (open access): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11098-021-01740-yAnother of Gabe's papers (the one with the "Matt" case), "Historical Moral Responsibility and Manipulation via Deletion" (open access): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10670-021-00409-6Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Mar 7, 2022 • 41min
Episode 35: Strawsonianism and Manipulation Arguments with Andrew Latham and Hannah Tierney
In this episode, we talk with Andrew Latham and Hannah Tierney about their recent collaborative work on manipulation arguments against compatibilism. They offer a novel response to those arguments by drawing from the work of P. F. Strawson.Andrew's website: https://andrewjlatham.wixsite.com/andrewlathamHannah's website: https://www.hannahtierney.com/ Andrew and Hannah's paper, "Defusing Existential and Universal Threats to Compatibilism: A Strawsonian Dilemma for Manipulation Arguments": https://philpapers.org/rec/LATDEATwitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Feb 21, 2022 • 42min
Episode 34: The Epistemic Condition and Tracing with Daniel Miller
In this episode, we talk with Daniel Miller about when and why ignorance functions as an excuse from blameworthiness, and how this is related to a phenomenon called “tracing”.Dan's website: http://www.danieljamesmiller.com/Dan's paper, "Reasonable Foreseeability and Blameless Ignorance": https://philpapers.org/archive/MILRFA-3.pdfDan's entry on ignorance and blame at 1000-Word Philosophy: https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2019/02/14/ignorance-and-blame/Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Feb 7, 2022 • 43min
Episode 33: Free Will and Moral Luck with Robert Hartman
In this episode, we talk with Robert Hartman about the problems of free will and moral luck and how they are related to each other.Bob's website: http://www.robertjhartman.com/Bob's book, In Defense of Moral Luck: https://www.routledge.com/In-Defense-of-Moral-Luck-Why-Luck-Often-Affects-Praiseworthiness-and-Blameworthiness/Hartman/p/book/9780367372415Bob's article, "Constitutive Moral Luck and Strawson's Argument for the Impossibility of Moral Responsibility": https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-american-philosophical-association/article/abs/constitutive-moral-luck-and-strawsons-argument-for-the-impossibility-of-moral-responsibility/F20DA7AD595F2D14E2FE2CE3E3F6ED97Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/