TrueSciPhi

Podcast Profile: Free Will Matters

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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 responsibility • philosophy of action, intentions, skills, self-control • consciousness and mind • causation, mental causation, dispositions • ethics, moral psychology, law • disability, theology, religion

This podcast centers on contemporary philosophical and interdisciplinary work on free will and human agency. Across conversations with leading researchers, it explores what it means to be an agent rather than a passive subject of external forces, and why questions about choice, control, and self-direction matter for how we understand ourselves.

A recurring focus is the relationship between free will and moral responsibility: what it takes for someone to be accountable, how responsibility connects to causation and explanation, and how different theories of action (including views that emphasize intentions, planning, and omission) try to make sense of everyday and institutional forms of agency. The discussions also draw out metaphysical debates about whether freedom is compatible with deterministic or scientifically grounded pictures of human behavior, and what kinds of capacities—such as sourcehood, reasons-responsiveness, or self-control—might underwrite genuine autonomy.

The show also situates philosophical arguments alongside relevant work in cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, and moral psychology. Listeners can expect attention to topics like the links between consciousness and agency, the role of skills and motor representations in intentional action, and empirical perspectives on self-regulation and decision-making. Alongside these theoretical issues, the podcast connects agency to broader ethical, social, and religious questions, including themes from philosophy of religion and theological approaches to freedom, as well as how social and economic conditions can shape a person’s agency over time.

Overall, the content is structured as expert-led explanations and discussions aimed at clarifying key concepts, addressing misconceptions about agency and free will, and mapping the main lines of current debate in philosophy and adjacent fields.

Episodes: