TrueSciPhi

Podcast Profile: Free Will Matters

Site • RSS • Apple Podcasts
17 episodes
2020 to 2021
Median: 13 minutes
Collection: Philosophy

Description (podcaster-provided):

The problem of free will has been at the center of many discussions in western philosophy for the last 20 centuries. But in recent years the problem has reappeared in a fresh form. There are new and exciting developments in the field that make this a fascinating topic of conversation. For this podcast we have invited various philosophers who work in free will. Philosophy might be a daunting thing, but with their help we will get to know better the what, the how and the why of free will. Welcome.

Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):

➤ Free will debates • human agency and consciousness • intentions, planning, practical reason • causation, mental causation, dispositions • moral responsibility and moral psychology • self-control, deception, grit • neuroscience and cognitive science • religion, theology, disability ethics

This podcast centers on contemporary philosophical work on free will and human agency, presented through conversations with researchers who approach the topic from multiple traditions within philosophy and adjacent fields. Across the episodes, the focus is on what it means to be an agent who acts intentionally, how agency relates to control and choice, and why these issues matter for questions about moral responsibility and accountability.

A recurring theme is how to understand human action in light of broader theories about the mind and the world: discussions commonly connect free will to the philosophy of action, metaphysics (including causation and the structure of agency), and philosophy of mind (including the relationship between agency and consciousness). The podcast also engages with moral psychology and ethics by examining the conditions under which people can be responsible for what they do, and how factors like self-control, motivation, and self-deception bear on agency.

The range of guests suggests sustained attention to both classical debates and newer developments. Alongside traditional philosophical questions about whether free will is compatible with scientific or deterministic pictures of human nature, the conversations draw on cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, and law-related perspectives to clarify what kinds of control or understanding are required for responsible action. The show also links agency to broader human concerns, such as practical reasoning, social and institutional forms of acting together, and the ways social or economic conditions can shape a person’s capacity to act and choose.

Overall, listeners can expect an interview-driven exploration of free will that emphasizes conceptual clarity while connecting philosophical theories of agency to empirical research and to applied issues about responsibility, ethics, and social life.

Episodes: