Free will, as defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica, is the “supposed power or capacity of humans to make decisions or perform actions independently of any prior event or state of the universe”.

In a previous episode, neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell argued that human evolution has indeed equipped us with the capacity for genuine free will. Go and check it out if you haven’t already.

Now, we turn the spotlight on the opposing view.

In his latest book, Determined: Life Without Free Will, renowned neuroscientist and recipient of the prestigious MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ Robert Sapolsky challenges the notion of free will, presenting a compelling case that our actions are largely determined by biological, environmental and chance factors.

In this episode, Sapolsky gets into the reasoning behind his controversial conclusions. But he also looks beyond just the lack of free will, exploring how this realisation might necessitate some fundamental changes to our society. And you know what? Even without the ability to truly choose, he still contends that life can hold real meaning.

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