

The Free Will Show
Taylor Cyr and Matt Flummer
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
Episodes
Mentioned books

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/

Aug 23, 2021 • 55min
Episode 22: The Libet Experiment with Tim Bayne
In this episode, Tim Bayne explains a famous experiment by brain scientist Benjamin Libet— an experiment that Libet took to show that we have no free will. We discuss several critical responses to Libet, and Tim argues that, even if unsuccessful in his original aims, Libet has raised good questions for philosophers, physiologists, and neuroscientists to explore.Tim's website: https://www.mmcr.edu.au/our_people/tim-bayne/ Libet's 1985 Behavioral and Brain Sciences paper, including peer commentary: http://philosophy.org.za/uploads_other/Libet1985.pdfRecent paper on readiness potential by Aaron Schurger et al.: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364661321000930Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

Aug 9, 2021 • 60min
Episode 21: Introduction to Free Will and Science with Robyn Repko Waller
This episode is the first in a new season on free will and science. Over the course of the season, we’ll have episodes covering topics in neuroscience, psychology, and physics. To kick things off with a general introduction to free will and science, we are joined by Robyn Repko Waller. Robyn's website: https://sites.google.com/site/robynrepkowaller/homeRobyn's John Templeton Foundation White Paper, "Recent Work on Agency, Freedom, and Responsibility: A Review": https://www.templeton.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Free-Will-White-Paper.pdf Robyn's interview on the Beautiful Minds Blog in Scientific American: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/the-neuroscience-of-free-will-a-q-a-with-robyn-repko-waller/Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

May 17, 2021 • 59min
Episode 20: Season 2 Q&A
Cohosts Taylor Cyr and Matt Flummer answer listener questions about the issues and ideas brought up in Season 2 of The Free Will Show.Asimov, Bicentennial Manhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0182789/Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Measure of a Manhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708807/Kevin Timpe, Free Will: Sourcehood and its Alternativeshttps://www.bloomsbury.com/us/free-will-9780826496256/Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

May 3, 2021 • 35min
Episode 19: Mysterianism with Seth Shabo
In this episode, we talk with Seth Shabo about mysterianism, the view that we have free will, but it is a mystery how it is that we have it. While not a mysterian himself, Seth explains the attractions of the view and addresses some common objections, and we end by asking Seth about his own views on free will and moral responsibility.Seth's website: https://philpapers.org/s/Seth%20ShaboSeth's paper, "Why Free Will Remains a Mystery": https://philpapers.org/rec/SHAWFWIf you have a question you’d like us to answer in our Q&A episode, get in touch with us at thefreewillshow@gmail.com, via the show’s website: thefreewillshow.com, or through social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/


