Instant Genius

Here’s why science says you do have free will


Listen Later

Did you really choose to listen to this podcast? Or was the decision just the product of neurons firing in your brain, used by biochemical reactions, governed by the laws of physics?


Today, it’s become almost fashionable to chalk how we think and behave up to nothing more than the physical sum of our parts. But our guest in this episode is bucking that trend, arguing that we humans do have autonomy over our lives.


Kevin Mitchell is an associate professor of genetics and neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin and author of Free Agents – How Evolution Gave Us Free Will. He argues that free will isn’t just an illusion, and that evolution proves that we’re more than mere machines simply responding to the world around us.


Will you choose to believe him?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Instant GeniusBy Our Media

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

68 ratings


More shows like Instant Genius

View all
More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

893 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,817 Listeners

The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists Podcast

606 Listeners

Ask the Naked Scientists by Dr Chris Smith

Ask the Naked Scientists

78 Listeners

Health Check by BBC World Service

Health Check

90 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

976 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

404 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

426 Listeners

Inside Health by BBC Radio 4

Inside Health

86 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

822 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

232 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

333 Listeners

Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

Unexpected Elements

359 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

477 Listeners

The world, the universe and us by New Scientist

The world, the universe and us

113 Listeners