TBD

James Miles is a British writer with special expertise in evolutionary biology. He's also an ardent free will skeptic, and in 2015 published 'The Free Will Delusion', which informed a conversation featured in episode 3 of this series. In this bonus episode, we tilt towards the subject of James' more recent book, 'AI and the End of Humanity' (2023). How might living beside artificial intelligence in the years ahead affect general attitudes about human 'freedom', for instance? Is free will skepticism a dangerous view in the face of technological advancement? And could it really be true that humans already sit at the apex of 'natural' intelligence? Big topics, and I felt James was well-placed to make some predictions. 

*This is an extended interview recorded while putting together the 'TBD' series. You're encouraged to check out the full series (episodes 1-4), if you haven't already!*

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James' website: https://jamesbmiles.com/earlier-work
'The Free Will Delusion' (2015): https://www.amazon.com.au/Free-Will-Delusion-Illusion-Morality/dp/1784621692

Susan Blackmore is a popular British writer and academic. She's well-known for her work in the fields of consciousness and 'memetics' and she also has plenty to say on the issue of free will. Here, we chat about decision-making, 'taking responsibility', forgiveness, and the extent to which a skeptical perspective ought to be pushed onto others. Above all, I was keen to hear how her views on free will have genuinely impacted her own experience of things. Susan is very much a notable in relation to free will debates and I trust it won't take long to understand why. This interview is being held apart from the others chiefly because of a later recording date. 

*This is an extended interview recorded as part of the 'TBD' series. You're encouraged to check out the feature episodes (episodes 1-4), if you haven't already!*

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Link to Susan's website: https://www.susanblackmore.uk/
'The Meme Machine' (1999): https://www.amazon.com/Meme-Machine-Popular-Science/dp/019286212X

Here's a relatively brief conversation with an anonymous contributor I met while doing street interviews at the beginning of the 'TBD' project. Significantly, out of 100 informal interviewees, this eloquent lunch-goer was the only one to declare specific interest in determinism as a worldview. Over just ten minutes or so, she's able to impart some fantastic ideas related to justice, judgement, 'forking paths', and how determinism might exist alongside our experience of consciousness. "Just who was that masked philosopher?", I bet you'll ask!

*This is an extended interview recorded while putting together the 'TBD' series. You're encouraged to check out the full series (episodes 1-4), if you haven't already!*

Bernard Beckett is a teacher and author based in New Zealand. Among his most acclaimed young adult novels are 'Genesis' and 'Malcom & Juliet'. In 2011, he published 'August', which is a sci-fi novel that deals with themes of determinism and free will. The promotion of this book had a big impact on my own awareness of the topic, so I was keen to chat to Bernard as the first interview I recorded for the series. He's got some great ideas related to compatibilism, pragmatism, and how we might flick between environmental and 'agency-based' perspectives. He's also generous in sharing his reflections on a book he finished 10 years ago. 

*This is an extended interview recorded while putting together the 'TBD' series. You're encouraged to check out the full series (episodes 1-4), if you haven't already!*

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Bernard's website:
https://bernardbeckett.wordpress.com/bio/

Links to 'August' and 'Genesis':
https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/august
https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/genesis

If we take a view our lives couldn't ever have been otherwise, how will this affect the way we reflect and anticipate? Does it equally degrade our achievements and console us about disappointments? And how do we proceed if intimidated by a universe whose path we perhaps can't disrupt? 

After previous episodes focused on distinctly 'societal' concerns, this finale goes for the personal and considers how a deterministic worldview will influence the way we navigate our own stories. Athletes, octogenarians, philosophers, and meditation experts bring unique perspectives.

Guest list:

• Richard Oerton - author, former lawyer and publisher
• Charlotte Thaarup - mindfulness consultant and educator 
• Neil Levy - philosophy professor at Macquarie University
• Maria Prendergast - retired journalist
• Robin Kelly - singer, retired antiquarian 
• Garion Priddis - doctor of philosophy
• ...and many more!

*If you find this topic too disorienting, please avoid!*

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A link to Richard's website:
https://www.thenonsenseoffreewill.co.uk/

Would belief in determinism make a person more generous or insular? Does such a picture advantage progressives or conservatives? And could it make you go softer on those you disagree with?

Perhaps believing in a universe whose course is as good as set out confronts us with the impact of 'luck' in a way we wouldn't otherwise acknowledge. But how might such an insight be put to work in society? Two very different camps seem advantaged, but this is all highly speculative!

Guest list:

• Josh Pearl - fellow at The Ethics Centre Sydney
• Daniel Lopez - editor at Jacobin Australia
• Peter Kurti - Anglican minister, senior research fellow at The Centre for Independent Studies
• Michael Sukkar - Australian Federal Shadow Minister for Housing, NDIS and Social Services
• James Miles - author
• ...and many more!

*If you find this topic too disorienting, please avoid!*

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Website for James Miles:
https://jamesbmiles.com/earlier-work

How much can people be blamed for their own wrongdoing? Is it unrealistic to think we might curb the extent to which we judge one another?

If the universe is taken to be essentially determined, then surely this impacts the way everybody's behaviour should be evaluated. Very often, people's ideas on determinism and free will go straight to issues of criminal justice and 'retribution', so we'll spend a good amount of time considering these. There's also some quick religious perspectives, and discussion related to one of the great incubators of human judgement - the schoolyard.

Guest list:

• Allan McCay - lawyer, deputy director at The Sydney Institute of Criminology
• Neil Levy - philosophy professor at Macquarie University 
• Dean Griffin - student wellbeing leader at Clarendon College Ballarat
• Jana Christodoulou - senior facilitator at The Reach Foundation
• Muhammad Kamal - Islamic Studies professor at the University of Melbourne
• Peter Kurti - Anglican minister, senior research fellow at The Centre for Independent Studies
• Garion Priddis - doctor of philosophy

*If you find this topic too disorienting, please avoid!*

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Here's a link to a great article written by Allan:
https://lsj.com.au/articles/a-clockwork-orange-again/

Do you think it really would have been possible for you to have something different for breakfast this morning?

Here, we’ll be introduced to determinism via conversations with authors, professors, teachers, students, and the good folks of various footpaths. We’ll think about whether spreading such a concept is ‘risky’, how it typically affects those who freshly encounter it, and if it's more likely to have positive or negative effects on adherents.

Guest list:

• Bernard Beckett - young adult author
• Kristie Miller - philosophy professor at the University of Sydney
• Garion Priddis - doctor of philosophy
• A great many more...

*If you find this topic too disorienting, please avoid!*

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Links to 'August' and 'Genesis' by Bernard Beckett: 
https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/august
https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/genesis