Robert Sapolsky: Determinism, Free Will, & The End of Moral Responsibility | Robinson’s Podcast #193

Patreon: Robert Sapolsky is John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor and Professor of Biology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery at Stanford University. He’s also a best-selling author and one of the leading voices in the current—and enduring—debate over free will. In this conversation, Robinson and Robert discuss his latest book, Determined (Penguin, 2023), and the many arguments it contains against free will, and how, if we don’t have it, we ought to change many of our social institutions, like the carceral system, that operate on the assumption that people are free, morally responsible agents.  Determined: ⁠⁠ OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 3:08 Turtles and the Illusion of Free Will 12:55 What Is Free Will and Why Don’t We Have It? 23:15 Chaos Theory, Complexity, and Free Will 34:08 Quantum Bullshit  47:59 Does Consciousness Give Us Free Will? 58:12 Fear, Disgust, and Free Will 1:08:09 The Limbic System and Free Will 1:19:45 How Does the Womb Determine Who We Are? 1:31:05 How Does Skepticism About Free Will Impact Behavior?  1:36:51 If There Is No Free Will, What Should We Do With Prisons?  1:45:32 What Is Funishment? Robinson’s Website: ⁠⁠ Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.