
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

Jan 24, 2022 • 58min
Episode 32: Incompatibilism and Incompossibilism with Kristin Mickelson
In this episode, we talk with Kristin Mickelson about whether philosophers are using the term “incompatibilism” in different ways and what implications this may have for the free will debate.Kristin's PhilPeople profile: https://philpeople.org/profiles/kristin-m-mickelson Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Jan 10, 2022 • 55min
Episode 31: Dependence, Freedom, and Foreknowledge with Andrew Law
This episode kicks off our fourth season, which will feature the work of mostly earlier-career scholars on a range of topics related to free will. Here we interview Andrew Law on the problem of divine foreknowledge and human free will, focusing on the increasingly popular dependence solution to the problem.Andrew's website: https://andrewlaw91.wixsite.com/websiteTwitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Dec 13, 2021 • 56min
Episode 30: Free Will as a Higher-Level Phenomenon with Christian List
In this episode, we talk with philosopher Christian List about a different way of responding to a challenge to free will from physics. Even if determinism is true at the level of physics, free will might still be possible at the higher and independent level of agency. Christian's website: https://personal.lse.ac.uk/LIST/Christian's book, Why Free Will Is Real: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674979581Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Nov 29, 2021 • 60min
Episode 29: Physics and Free Will with Jenann Ismael
In this episode, we talk with Jenann Ismael about how our ordinary conception of ourselves as agents who make free decisions is not in conflict with the classical deterministic model of physics. We also discuss how to think about determinism in light of recent advances in physics. Jenann's website: https://www.jenanni.com/Jenann's book: How Physics Makes Us FreeTwitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Nov 15, 2021 • 46min
Episode 28: Situationism with Christian Miller
In this episode, we talk with Christian Miller about studies in psychology that seem to show that our actions are more influenced by the situations that we’re in than by our character or conscious willing. We also talk about how these studies relate to free will and moral responsibility, as well as Christian’s own view.Christian's website: https://www.christianbmiller.com/Christian's book, The Character Gap: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-character-gap-9780197503805?lang=en&cc=us Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Nov 1, 2021 • 44min
Episode 27: Developmental Psychology and Free Will with Tamar Kushnir
In this episode, we talk with psychologist Tamar Kushnir about the developmental origins of our beliefs in free will and agency. We also talk about studies comparing adults and children and cross-cultural differences in beliefs about agency.Tamar's website: http://ecclabduke.com/theteamTamar’s paper in Philosophy Compass: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/phc3.12529Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Oct 18, 2021 • 51min
Episode 26: Willpower and Ego Depletion with Roy Baumeister
In this episode, we talk with social psychologist Roy Baumeister about willpower and an effect that Roy calls “ego depletion”. We also ask Roy about his recent work developing a scientific theory of free will. Roy's website: https://roybaumeister.com/Roy's book on Willpower (cowritten with John Tierney): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/307740/willpower-by-roy-f-baumeister-and-john-tierney/Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Oct 4, 2021 • 34min
Episode 25: Monkeys and Free Will with Adina Roskies
In this episode we talk with neuroscientist and philosopher Adina Roskies about what we can learn about free will from monkey cognition. We also ask her about her take on the Libet experiment and whether neuroscience could, in principle, disprove free will.Adina's Website: https://faculty-directory.dartmouth.edu/adina-l-roskiesAdina's chapter "Monkey Decision-Making as a Model System for Human Decision-Making" can be found in the book Surrounding Free Will, edited by Al Mele: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/surrounding-free-will-9780199333950?cc=us&lang=en&Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Sep 20, 2021 • 53min
Episode 24: The Neural Basis of Free Will with Peter Ulric Tse
In this episode, we talk with neuroscientist Peter Ulric Tse about the neural basis of free will. We cover topics such as criterial causation, kinds of free will, and why he’s a libertarian about free will.Peter's website: https://sites.dartmouth.edu/peter/Peter's book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/neural-basis-free-willPeter's MOOC: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBZk0Jl545845TCxtkEbJQ7bTJTqi_HrF Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Sep 6, 2021 • 58min
Episode 23: The Neurophilosophy of Free Will with Uri Maoz
In this episode, we talk with brain scientist Uri Maoz about the neurophilosophy of free will. We ask about the role of neuroscience in the free will debate, how philosophers and neuroscientists can collaborate, and more.Uri's website: https://braininstitute.us/people/uri-maoz/Neurophilosophy of Free Will project website: https://neurophil-freewill.org/Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/