Twitter: @thefreewillshow • @taylorwcyr • @MatthewFlummer
Site: thefreewillshow.com
72 episodes
2020 to present
Average episode: 43 minutes
Open in Apple Podcasts • RSS
Categories: Interview-Style • Mind/Consciousness • Two Hosts
Podcaster's summary: Do any of us really have free will? What does it mean to have free will, anyway? Is free will compatible with determinism? Hasn’t science disproved free will? How could we have free will if God exists and foreknows everything that we will ever do? The Free Will Show provides a beginner-friendly introduction to the topic of free will while at the same time exposing listeners to cutting-edge developments on the topic. Hosted by a couple of philosophers, Taylor Cyr and Matt Flummer, The Free Will Show features interviews with guests on a diverse array of issues relating to free will, including issues in science and theology. thefreewillshow.com
| Episodes |
| 2023-Nov-20 • 42 minutes Episode 68: Psychopathy and the Law with David Shoemaker In this episode, we talk with David Shoemaker about his theory of different kinds of moral responsibility and its implications for psychopathy and the law.David's website: https://sites.google.com/site/dshoemakr/homeDavid's... book, Responsibility from the Margins: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/responsibility-from-the-margins-97801987... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Sho... |
| 2023-Nov-06 • 39 minutes Episode 67: Children and the Law with Gideon Yaffe In this episode, we talk with Gideon Yaffe about whether and to what extent children should be held less culpable for breaking the law.Gideon's website: https://law.yale.edu/gideon-yaffeGideon's... book, The Age of Culpability: Children and the Age of Criminal Responsibility: https://academic.oup.com/book/8349?login=falseTwitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-1055350312004... |
| 2023-Oct-23 • 43 minutes Episode 66: Overpunishment with Saul Smilansky In this episode, we talk with Saul Smilansky about overpunishment, focusing on the question of whether overpunishing a guilty person is morally worse than punishing an innocent person. We also briefly discuss Saul's work on free will and illusion.Saul's website: https://www.saulsmilansky.com/Saul's... book, Free Will and Illusion: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/free-will-and-illusion-9780199252596?q=s... paper, "Overpunishment and the Punishment of the Innocent": https://on... |
| 2023-Oct-09 • 36 minutes Episode 65: Rehabilitation with Katrina Sifferd In this episode, we talk with Katrina Sifferd about the rehabilitation of criminal offenders and the effects that environments can have on criminal behavior and rehabilitation.Katrina's website: https://pleasandexcuses.net/Katrina's... paper, "Structural Injustice and Fair Opportunity": https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11572-023-09697-1Twitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.c... |
| 2023-Sep-25 • 30 minutes Episode 64: Moral Authority and Punishment with Victor Tadros In this episode, we talk with Victor Tadros about moral authority (or standing) and punishment. In particular, we ask about what it would mean for the state to be complicit in the behavior of criminal offenders and how that complicity might affect its standing to punish. Victor's website: https://vtadros367761169.wordpress.com/Victor's... book, Criminal Responsibility: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/criminal-responsibility-9780199225828Twi... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:.... |
| 2023-Sep-18 • 25 minutes Episode 63: Mens Rea with Craig Agule In this episode, we talk with Craig Agule about some of the philosophical issues related to mens rea requirements in the law and also about the connection between mens rea and free will.Craig's website: https://craigagule.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/... |
| 2023-Sep-06 • 30 minutes Episode 62: Theories of Punishment with Erin Kelly In this episode, we talk with Erin Kelly about the main theories of justification for punishment, as well as some challenges for those theories. We also ask her about her work on moving from retributive to restorative justice.Erin's website: https://erinikelly.comErin's book, The Limits of Blame: Rethinking Punishment and Responsibility: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674980778... Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/... |
| 2023-Aug-16 • 51 minutes Episode 61: Introduction to Free Will and the Law with Kyle Fritz This episode starts a new season on free will and the law. In a wide-ranging discussion, Kyle Fritz gives some background for various key issues at the intersection of free will and the law.Kyle's website: https://kylegfritz.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/... |
| 2023-May-29 • 55 minutes Episode 60: Compatibilism and Reduction with Robert Wallace In this episode, we talk with Robert Wallace about a dilemma for compatibilist views that reductively explain free will in terms of dispositions.Robert's website: https://www.roberthwallace.com/Robert's... paper, "A Dilemma for Reductive Compatibilism": https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10670-021-00475-wTwitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200... |
| 2023-May-15 • 38 minutes Episode 59: Crime and Public Health with Nadine Elzein In this episode we talk with Nadine Elzein about the public health model for responding to criminal behavior. We ask about reasons for preferring this model (including free will skepticism) as well as some common objections to treating crime like a public health issue. Nadine's website: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/philosophy/people/summaries/elzein/Twitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Fre... |
| 2023-May-01 • 31 minutes Episode 58: Options and Agency with John Maier In this episode we talk with John Maier about what he calls 'options' and how they’re related in other issues in the philosophy of agency. John's website: https://www.jmaier.netJohn's book, Options and Agency: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-10243-1Twitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/... |
| 2023-Apr-17 • 43 minutes Episode 57: The Reason View with Susan Wolf In this episode, we talk with Susan Wolf about her view of free will, which she calls "The Reason View," and how her view has evolved over the years. Susan's website: https://philosophy.unc.edu/people/susan-wolf/Susan's... book, Freedom within Reason: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/freedom-within-reason-9780195085655?cc=u... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-10... |
| 2023-Apr-03 • 42 minutes Episode 56: Raising the Stakes in the Free Will Debate with Justin Caouette In this episode, we talk with Justin Caouette about a variety of topics that he’s interested in in the free will debate as well as what is at stake in the debate itself. Justin's website: http://www.profjustincaouette.com/Justin's... co-edited volume, Free Will and Moral Responsibility: https://www.cambridgescholars.com/free-will-and-moral-responsibility-15Twitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.... |
| 2023-Mar-20 • 46 minutes Episode 55: Blameworthiness and Forgiveness with Per-Erik Milam In this episode, we talk with Per-Erik Milam about blameworthiness and forgiveness. Along the way, we talk about two types of view about what forgiveness is.Per's website: http://www.pererikmilam.com/Per's chapter discussed in the episode is called "Forgiveness," and it is in the Oxford Handbook of Moral Responsibility: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-moral-responsibil... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewill... |
| 2023-Mar-06 • 26 minutes Episode 54: Action Explanations with Megan Fritts In this episode we talk with Megan Fritts about causal and non-causal theories of action explanation and why she prefers a non-causal approach.Megan's website: https://sites.google.com/view/meganjfritts/homeMegan's... paper, "Reasons Explanations as Structural Explanations": https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11229-021-03349-4Twitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-... |
| 2023-Feb-20 • 51 minutes Episode 53: Manipulation and Intentional Agency with Andrei Buckareff In this episode, we talk with Andrei Buckareff about a kind of soft-line response to the manipulation argument that draws from work within the philosophy of action.Andrei's website: https://sites.google.com/site/andreibuckareff/Twitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/... |
| 2023-Feb-06 • 33 minutes Episode 52: Free Will as a Natural Kind with Oisín Deery In this episode, we talk with Oisín Deery about his work on free will as a natural kind. Along the way, we talk about what it feels like to act freely, whether freedom is compatible with determinism, and whether artificial intelligences could have free will.Oisin's website: https://www.oisindeery.com/Oisin's book, Naturally Free Action: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/naturally-free-action-9780198789796?cc=i... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thef... |
| 2023-Jan-23 • 34 minutes Episode 51: Flickers of Freedom with Bradford Stockdale In this episode, we discuss a popular response to Frankfurt cases called the "flicker of freedom" strategy. Our guest is Bradford Stockdale.Brad's PhilPeople profile: https://philpeople.org/profiles/bradford-stockdaleBrad's... paper, "Moral Responsibility, Alternative Possibilities, and Acting on One's Own": https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10892-020-09353-zTwitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=... |
| 2022-Dec-12 • 90 minutes Episode 50: Double Compatibilism with Greg Welty In this episode, we talk with Greg Welty about what compatibilists about freedom and determinism could contribute to the debate about freedom and foreknowledge.Greg's website: http://www.gregwelty.com/Greg's book, Why Is There Evil in the World (And So Much Of It)?: https://www.christianfocus.com/products/2741/why-is-there-evil-inTwitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-1055... |
| 2022-Nov-28 • 49 minutes Episode 49: Open Theism, Part 2 with Patrick Todd This is our second of two episodes on open theism. We talk with Patrick Todd about two versions of the view and why he prefers the open future open theist view.Patrick's website: http://www.patricktodd.co/Patrick's book, The Open Future: Why Future Contingents Are All False: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-open-future-9780192897916?cc=us&... of essays co-edited and co-introduced by Patrick (with John Martin Fischer), Freedom, Fatalism, and Foreknowledge: https://global.oup.com/acad... |
| 2022-Nov-14 • 54 minutes Episode 48: Open Theism, Part 1 with William Hasker This is our first of two episodes on open theism, the view that we have free will and that it is incompatible with divine foreknowledge. In this episode, we talk with William Hasker about reasons to be an open theist and some potential challenges.Bill's website: https://www.huntington.edu/meet-the-faculty/william-haskerInfluential... book on open theism, to which Bill is a contributor, The Openness of God: https://www.ivpress.com/the-openness-of-godBill's... book, God, Time and Knowledge: https://... |
| 2022-Oct-31 • 45 minutes Episode 47: Sourcehood Libertarianism with David Hunt In this episode, we talk with David Hunt about the source-libertarian response to the problem of freedom and foreknowledge, according to which, although causal determinism would rule out moral responsibility, alternative possibilities are not required.David's website: https://www.whittier.edu/academics/philosophy/david-huntDavid's... paper, "On Augustine's Way Out": https://www.pdcnet.org/scholarpdf/show?id=faithphil_1999_0016_0001_0003_0026&... David's coauthored entry (wit... |
| 2022-Oct-17 • 38 minutes Episode 46: The Dependence Response, Part 2 with Philip Swenson This episode is the second in a two-part series on the dependence response to the problem of freedom and foreknowledge. In this episode, we talk with Philip Swenson about his version of the dependence response, whether Molinists can accept the response, and more.Philip's website: https://sites.google.com/site/philipjswenson/homePhilip's... paper, "Ability, Foreknowledge, and Explanatory Dependence": https://philpapers.org/archive/SWEAFA.pdfAnother... interview with Philip on his dilemma... |
| 2022-Oct-03 • 36 minutes Episode 45: The Dependence Response, Part 1 with Trenton Merricks This episode is the first in a two-part series on the dependence response to the problem of freedom and foreknowledge. In this episode, we talk with Trenton Merricks about truth, dependence, foreknowledge, and freedom. Trenton's website: https://www.trentonmerricks.com/Trenton's... paper, "Truth and Freedom": https://www.trentonmerricks.com/public/publications/Truth-and-Freedom.pdf... Trenton's paper, "Foreknowledge and Freedom": https://www.trentonmerricks.com/public/publ... |
| 2022-Sep-19 • 42 minutes Episode 44: Molinism with William Lane Craig In this episode, we talk with William Lane Craig about Molinism, a view about the compatibility of divine providence and human free will that is sometimes brought up in response to the challenge of divine foreknowledge.Bill's website: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/Bill's... book, The Only Wise God: https://wipfandstock.com/9781579103163/the-only-wise-god/Bill's... book, Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom: https://brill.com/view/title/2069?language=enTwitter:... https://twitter.com/thefr... |
| 2022-Sep-05 • 60 minutes Episode 43: Ockhamism with Amy Seymour In this episode, we talk with Amy Seymour about Ockhamist solution to the problem of freedom and foreknowledge. Along the way, we discuss various related issues in the philosophy of time.Amy's website: https://www.amyseymour.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/... |
| 2022-Aug-22 • 41 minutes Episode 42: Boethianism with Katherin Rogers In this episode, we talk with Katherin Rogers about the Boethian response to the problem of freedom and foreknowledge, according to which God’s timelessness helps to solve the problem.Kate's website: https://www.udel.edu/faculty-staff/experts/katherin-rogers/Kate's... recent book, The Experimental Approach to Free Will: https://www.routledge.com/The-Experimental-Approach-to-Free-Will-Freedom-in-the-... book, Freedom and Self Creation: Anselmian Libertarianism: https://global.oup.com/academic/produ... |
| 2022-Aug-08 • 42 minutes Episode 41: Introduction to Freedom and Foreknowledge with Simon Kittle This episode is the first in a new season on the puzzle of divine foreknowledge and human free will. Our guest, Simon Kittle, introduces the problem of freedom and foreknowledge and gives an overview of the responses to this problem that we’ll cover in more detail in the remaining episodes of this season.Simon's website: https://www.simonkittle.com/ Simon's book (with Leigh Vicens), God and Human Freedom: https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/god-and-human-freedom/D0EE63BB14A6F9... Twitter:... |
| 2022-Jul-21 • 28 minutes Bonus Episode: 50 Free Will Puzzles with Garrett Pendergraft In this bonus episode, we talk with Garrett Pendergraft about his new book, Free Will and Human Agency: 50 Puzzles, Paradoxes, and Though Experiments. We’ll be back next month with season 5, which focuses on the problem of human freedom and divine foreknowledge.Garrett's website: https://seaver.pepperdine.edu/academics/faculty/garrett-pendergraft/Garrett&apos... book: https://www.routledge.com/Free-Will-and-Human-Agency-50-Puzzles-Paradoxes-and-Th... Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagra... |
| 2022-May-16 • 43 minutes Episode 40: Moral Luck and Transformative Experiences with Marcela Herdova In this episode, we talk with Marcela Herdova about moral luck and transformative experiences—the kind of experiences that fundamentally change who we are. Marcela's website: https://marcelaherdova.com/Marcela's... paper, "Transformative Moral Luck": https://www.pdcnet.org/msp/content/msp_2019_0043_0162_0180Twitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/.... |
| 2022-May-02 • 32 minutes Episode 39: The Vagueness of "Free Will" with Santiago Amaya In this episode, we talk with Santiago Amaya about an argument for the conclusion that "free will" is a vague term. We also talk about what Santiago thinks are some of the implications of this conclusion for the free will debate.Santiago's PhilPeople profile: https://philpeople.org/profiles/santiago-amayaSantiago's... podcast, "Free Will Matters": https://freewill.uniandes.edu.co/podcast/Twitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thef... |
| 2022-Apr-18 • 34 minutes Episode 38: Omissions and Frankfurt Cases with John Stigall In this episode, we talk with John Stigall about omissions and Frankfurt cases. John defends the view that, while we can be morally responsible for performing positive actions even if we lack the ability to do otherwise, moral responsibility for omissions requires the ability to do otherwise.John's website: https://philpeople.org/profiles/john-stigall... John's article, "Causation, Norms, and Omissions: A Study of Causal Judgments (with Randolph Clarke, Joshua Shepherd, Robyn Repko Waller, an... |
| 2022-Apr-04 • 38 minutes Episode 37: Mental Illness and Moral Responsibility with Sofia Jeppsson In this episode, we talk with Sofia Jeppsson about why we should not take mental illness to function as an exemption from moral responsibility and why we shouldn’t take what P. F. Strawson called the “objective stance” towards those who are mentally ill.Sofia's departmental website: https://www.umu.se/en/staff/sofia-jeppsson/... Sofia's personal website: https://www.sofiajeppsson.com/Sofia's... article, "Psychosis and Intelligibility": https://muse.jhu.edu/article/806103Twitter:... ... |
| 2022-Mar-21 • 59 minutes Episode 36: Manipulation, Bypassing, and Nonconsensual Neurocorrectives with Gabriel De Marco In this episode, we talk with Gabriel De Marco about various manipulation cases and different ways philosophers have responded to them. We also talk about real-life cases of interventions that are similar to the manipulations in philosophical thought experiments.Gabriel's website: https://www.neuroethics.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-gabriel-de-marco?filter_types-688386[... paper, "Nonconsensual Neurocorrectives, Bypassing, and Free Action" (open access): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11098... |
| 2022-Mar-07 • 41 minutes Episode 35: Strawsonianism and Manipulation Arguments with Andrew Latham and Hannah Tierney In this episode, we talk with Andrew Latham and Hannah Tierney about their recent collaborative work on manipulation arguments against compatibilism. They offer a novel response to those arguments by drawing from the work of P. F. Strawson.Andrew's website: https://andrewjlatham.wixsite.com/andrewlathamHannah's... website: https://www.hannahtierney.com/ Andrew and Hannah's paper, "Defusing Existential and Universal Threats to Compatibilism: A Strawsonian Dilemma for Manipulation Argument... |
| 2022-Feb-21 • 42 minutes Episode 34: The Epistemic Condition and Tracing with Daniel Miller In this episode, we talk with Daniel Miller about when and why ignorance functions as an excuse from blameworthiness, and how this is related to a phenomenon called “tracing”.Dan's website: http://www.danieljamesmiller.com/Dan's... paper, "Reasonable Foreseeability and Blameless Ignorance": https://philpapers.org/archive/MILRFA-3.pdfDan's... entry on ignorance and blame at 1000-Word Philosophy: https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2019/02/14/ignorance-and-blame/Twitter:... https://twitter... |
| 2022-Feb-07 • 43 minutes Episode 33: Free Will and Moral Luck with Robert Hartman In this episode, we talk with Robert Hartman about the problems of free will and moral luck and how they are related to each other.Bob's website: http://www.robertjhartman.com/Bob's book, In Defense of Moral Luck: https://www.routledge.com/In-Defense-of-Moral-Luck-Why-Luck-Often-Affects-Praise... article, "Constitutive Moral Luck and Strawson's Argument for the Impossibility of Moral Responsibility": https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-american-philosophical-as...... |
| 2022-Jan-24 • 58 minutes Episode 32: Incompatibilism and Incompossibilism with Kristin Mickelson In this episode, we talk with Kristin Mickelson about whether philosophers are using the term “incompatibilism” in different ways and what implications this may have for the free will debate.Kristin's PhilPeople profile: https://philpeople.org/profiles/kristin-m-mickelson... Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/... |
| 2022-Jan-10 • 55 minutes Episode 31: Dependence, Freedom, and Foreknowledge with Andrew Law This episode kicks off our fourth season, which will feature the work of mostly earlier-career scholars on a range of topics related to free will. Here we interview Andrew Law on the problem of divine foreknowledge and human free will, focusing on the increasingly popular dependence solution to the problem.Andrew's website: https://andrewlaw91.wixsite.com/websiteTwitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook... |
| 2021-Dec-13 • 56 minutes Episode 30: Free Will as a Higher-Level Phenomenon with Christian List In this episode, we talk with philosopher Christian List about a different way of responding to a challenge to free will from physics. Even if determinism is true at the level of physics, free will might still be possible at the higher and independent level of agency. Christian's website: https://personal.lse.ac.uk/LIST/Christian's... book, Why Free Will Is Real: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674979581Twitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.insta... |
| 2021-Nov-29 • 60 minutes Episode 29: Physics and Free Will with Jenann Ismael In this episode, we talk with Jenann Ismael about how our ordinary conception of ourselves as agents who make free decisions is not in conflict with the classical deterministic model of physics. We also discuss how to think about determinism in light of recent advances in physics. Jenann's website: https://www.jenanni.com/Jenann's book: How Physics Makes Us FreeTwitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.faceboo... |
| 2021-Nov-15 • 46 minutes Episode 28: Situationism with Christian Miller In this episode, we talk with Christian Miller about studies in psychology that seem to show that our actions are more influenced by the situations that we’re in than by our character or conscious willing. We also talk about how these studies relate to free will and moral responsibility, as well as Christian’s own view.Christian's website: https://www.christianbmiller.com/Christian's... book, The Character Gap: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-character-gap-9780197503805?lang=en&... Twi... |
| 2021-Nov-01 • 44 minutes Episode 27: Developmental Psychology and Free Will with Tamar Kushnir In this episode, we talk with psychologist Tamar Kushnir about the developmental origins of our beliefs in free will and agency. We also talk about studies comparing adults and children and cross-cultural differences in beliefs about agency.Tamar's website: http://ecclabduke.com/theteamTamar’s paper in Philosophy Compass: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/phc3.12529Twitter:... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... htt... |
| 2021-Oct-18 • 51 minutes Episode 26: Willpower and Ego Depletion with Roy Baumeister In this episode, we talk with social psychologist Roy Baumeister about willpower and an effect that Roy calls “ego depletion”. We also ask Roy about his recent work developing a scientific theory of free will. Roy's website: https://roybaumeister.com/Roy's book on Willpower (cowritten with John Tierney): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/307740/willpower-by-roy-f-baumeister-an... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... ht... |
| 2021-Oct-04 • 34 minutes Episode 25: Monkeys and Free Will with Adina Roskies In this episode we talk with neuroscientist and philosopher Adina Roskies about what we can learn about free will from monkey cognition. We also ask her about her take on the Libet experiment and whether neuroscience could, in principle, disprove free will.Adina's Website: https://faculty-directory.dartmouth.edu/adina-l-roskiesAdina's... chapter "Monkey Decision-Making as a Model System for Human Decision-Making" can be found in the book Surrounding Free Will, edited by Al Mele: https://... |
| 2021-Sep-20 • 53 minutes Episode 24: The Neural Basis of Free Will with Peter Ulric Tse In this episode, we talk with neuroscientist Peter Ulric Tse about the neural basis of free will. We cover topics such as criterial causation, kinds of free will, and why he’s a libertarian about free will.Peter's website: https://sites.dartmouth.edu/peter/Peter's... book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/neural-basis-free-willPeter's... MOOC: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBZk0Jl545845TCxtkEbJQ7bTJTqi_HrF... Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagr... |
| 2021-Sep-06 • 58 minutes Episode 23: The Neurophilosophy of Free Will with Uri Maoz In this episode, we talk with brain scientist Uri Maoz about the neurophilosophy of free will. We ask about the role of neuroscience in the free will debate, how philosophers and neuroscientists can collaborate, and more.Uri's website: https://braininstitute.us/people/uri-maoz/Neurophilosophy... of Free Will project website: https://neurophil-freewill.org/Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-F... |
| 2021-Aug-23 • 55 minutes Episode 22: The Libet Experiment with Tim Bayne In this episode, Tim Bayne explains a famous experiment by brain scientist Benjamin Libet— an experiment that Libet took to show that we have no free will. We discuss several critical responses to Libet, and Tim argues that, even if unsuccessful in his original aims, Libet has raised good questions for philosophers, physiologists, and neuroscientists to explore.Tim's website: https://www.mmcr.edu.au/our_people/tim-bayne/... Libet's 1985 Behavioral and Brain Sciences paper, including peer commenta... |
| 2021-Aug-09 • 60 minutes Episode 21: Introduction to Free Will and Science with Robyn Repko Waller This episode is the first in a new season on free will and science. Over the course of the season, we’ll have episodes covering topics in neuroscience, psychology, and physics. To kick things off with a general introduction to free will and science, we are joined by Robyn Repko Waller. Robyn's website: https://sites.google.com/site/robynrepkowaller/homeRobyn's... John Templeton Foundation White Paper, "Recent Work on Agency, Freedom, and Responsibility: A Review": https://www.templeton.o... |
| 2021-May-17 • 59 minutes Episode 20: Season 2 Q&A Cohosts Taylor Cyr and Matt Flummer answer listener questions about the issues and ideas brought up in Season 2 of The Free Will Show.Asimov, Bicentennial Manhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0182789/... Trek: The Next Generation, The Measure of a Manhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708807/... Timpe, Free Will: Sourcehood and its Alternativeshttps://www.bloomsbury.com/u... https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-... |
| 2021-May-03 • 35 minutes Episode 19: Mysterianism with Seth Shabo In this episode, we talk with Seth Shabo about mysterianism, the view that we have free will, but it is a mystery how it is that we have it. While not a mysterian himself, Seth explains the attractions of the view and addresses some common objections, and we end by asking Seth about his own views on free will and moral responsibility.Seth's website: https://philpapers.org/s/Seth%20ShaboSeth's... paper, "Why Free Will Remains a Mystery": https://philpapers.org/rec/SHAWFWIf you have a ques... |
| 2021-Apr-18 • 34 minutes Episode 18: Revisionism with Manuel Vargas In this episode, we talk with Manuel Vargas about revisionism, a family of views according to which our ordinary conception of free will needs to be revised. Manuel's website: http://vargasphilosophy.com/Manuel's... book, Building Better Beings: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/building-better-beings-9780199697540?cc=... F. Strawson’s classic paper, “Freedom and Resentment”: https://philpapers.org/rec/STRFAR-4If you have a question you’d like us to answer in our Q&A episode, get in touc... |
| 2021-Apr-05 • 52 minutes Episode 17: Compatibilism, Part 3 (Semicompatibilism) with Michael McKenna In this episode, we talk with Michael McKenna about semicompatibilism (or, perhaps better, source compatibilism). We discuss two versions of the view: “mesh” theories (including Harry Frankfurt’s hierarchical model) and reasons-responsiveness theories.Michael's website: https://msmckenna.com/Michael's book, Conversation and Responsibility: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/conversation-and-responsibility-97801997... Frankfurt’s paper, “Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person”: https:... |
| 2021-Mar-22 • 40 minutes Episode 16: Compatibilism, Part 2 (Dispositional Compatibilism) with Kadri Vihvelin In this episode, we interview Kadri Vihvelin about a recent development of the classical compatibilist position—a development that has come to be known as "dispositional compatibilism." Along the way we discuss time travel, abilities, dispositions, and much more.Kadri's website: http://vihvelin.com/Kadri's book, Causes, Laws, and Free Will: Why Determinism Doesn't Matter: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/causes-laws-and-free-will-9780199795185?... recent time travel paper, &q... |
| 2021-Mar-08 • 46 minutes Episode 15: Compatibilism, Part 1 (Classical Compatibilism) with Helen Beebee In this episode, we ask Helen Beebee about a range of compatibilist positions, beginning with the “classical compatibilism” of Hobbes/Hume and then turning to the conditional analysis of ability, David Lewis’s “local miracle compatibilism,” and, finally, “Humean compatibilism.”Helen's website: https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/Helen.Beebee.htmlHelen’s... book, Free Will: An Introduction: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9780230232921Helen’s... paper, “Local Miracle Compatibilism”: https://... |
| 2021-Feb-22 • 56 minutes Episode 14: Free Will Skepticism with Gregg Caruso In this episode we talk with Gregg Caruso about free will skepticism, the view that we lack the freedom (or control) required for moral responsibility in the basic desert sense.Gregg's website:http://www.greggcaruso.com/Gregg... forthcoming book:https://www.cambridge.org/us/academ... new book co-written with Dan Dennett:https://politybooks.com/bookdeta... Gregg's Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article:https://plato.stanford.edu/entri... you have a question you’d like us to answer in our Q&... |
| 2021-Feb-08 • 45 minutes Episode 13: Libertarianism, Part 3 (Non-Causal) with David Palmer This is the third of a three-part series on varieties of libertarianism. In this episode, we talk with David Palmer about non-causal libertarianism.David's website:https://philosophy.utk.edu/staff... forthcoming article defending noncausal free will: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11229-020-02701-4David's... book Libertarian Free Will: Contemporary Debates https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199860... you have a question you’d like us to answer i... |
| 2021-Jan-25 • 54 minutes Episode 12: Libertarianism, Part 2 (Agent-Causal) with Timothy O'Connor This episode is the second of a three-part series on varieties of libertarianism. In this episode, we talk with Timothy O'Connor about agent causal libertarianism.Tim's website: https://philosophy.indiana.edu/people/oconnor.shtmlTim's... book: Persons and Causes: The Metaphysics of Free Will: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/persons-and-causes-9780195153743?cc=ca&a... interviews on Closer to Truth: https://www.closertotruth.com/contributor/timothy-oconnor/profile... Stanford Encycloped... |
| 2021-Jan-11 • 51 minutes Episode 11: Libertarianism, Part 1 (Event-Causal) with Christopher Franklin This season begins with a three-part series on varieties of libertarianism. In this episode, we talk with Chris Franklin about his version of event-causal libertarianism.Chris's website:https://christopherefranklin.wee... book: A Minimal Libertarianism:https://global.oup.com/ac... Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Free Will”: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/freewill/If... you have a question you’d like us to answer in our Q&A episode, get in touch with us at [email protected], via the show’s ... |
| 2020-Dec-06 • 2 minutes The Free Will Show Season 2 Trailer Cohosts Taylor Cyr and Matt Flummer describe Season 2 of The Free Will Show.Taylor’s website: taylorwcyr.comMatt’s website: matthewflummer.weebly.com/If you have a question you’d like us to answer in our Q&A episode, get in touch with us at [email protected], via the show’s website: thefreewillshow.com, or through social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-10553503... |
| 2020-Nov-23 • 34 minutes Episode 10: Q&A Cohosts Taylor Cyr and Matt Flummer answer listener questions about the issues and ideas brought up in Season 1 of The Free Will Show.We discussed Neil Levy's book Hard Luck in this episode: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/hard-luck-9780199601387?cc=ca&lang=e... you have a question you’d like us to answer in a future Q&A episode, get in touch with us at [email protected], via the show’s website: thefreewillshow.com, or through social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewi... |
| 2020-Nov-09 • 41 minutes Episode 9: Moral Luck with Dana Kay Nelkin In this episode, Dana Kay Nelkin explains the problem of moral luck, which raises a challenge for all theories of freedom and responsibility. After giving several examples of moral luck, Dana explains some types of response to this challenge.Dana’s website:http://www.danakaynelkin.com/Dan... article on Moral Luck in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:https://plato.stanford.edu/en... Nagel's famous paper on moral luck:https://www.jstor.org/stable/410682... Man in the High Castle is on Amazon Prime ... |
| 2020-Oct-26 • 51 minutes Episode 8: The Manipulation Argument with Derk Pereboom In this episode, Derk Pereboom explains the manipulation argument—an argument that aims at showing that determinism and free will are incompatible. After walking us through his widely discussed “Four-Case Argument,” Derk summarizes Alfred Mele’s “Zygote Argument” and responds to a variety of objections to manipulation arguments.Derk’s website:http://derk-pereboom.net/Derk’s Books:Free Will, Agency, and Meaning in Life: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/free-will-agency-and-meaning-in-life-978... View... |
| 2020-Oct-12 • 43 minutes Episode 7: Frankfurt Cases with Carolina Sartorio In this episode, Carolina Sartorio explains “Frankfurt cases”—cases that call into question the intuitive idea, sometimes called the principle of alternative possibilities (“PAP” for short), according to which moral responsibility requires alternative possibilities. After talking through one type of objection to Frankfurt cases, Carolina discusses the significance of Frankfurt cases, which she argues extends beyond their role as alleged counterexamples to PAP.Carolina’s Website: http://sartorio.arizona.edu/... |
| 2020-Sep-28 • 38 minutes Episode 6: The Problem of Luck with Alfred Mele In this episode, Alfred Mele explains the problem of luck for libertarianism (the view that we have free will and that free will is incompatible with determinism). Along the way, we discuss different types of libertarian views of free will, as well as Al’s own proposed solution to the problem of luck on behalf of libertarians. Al’s Website: http://myweb.fsu.edu/amele/almele.htmlAl’s... book on this subject: Free Will and Luck: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/free-will-and-luck-9780195374391?cc=us&a.... |
| 2020-Sep-14 • 33 minutes Episode 5: The Consequence Argument with Peter van Inwagen In this episode, Peter van Inwagen explains the consequence argument for incompatibilism. Afterwards, he discusses what he takes to be the problem of freedom and determinism.Peter’s Website: https://philosophy.nd.edu/people/emeritus/peter-van-inwagen/A... collection of Peter’s written work: https://andrewmbailey.com/pvi/Papers referenced in the episode:"Are We Free to Break the Laws?" by David Lewishttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi... Reconsideration of an Argument Against Compatibilism” by Thom... |
| 2020-Aug-31 • 45 minutes Episode 4: Divine Foreknowledge with Linda Zagzebski In this episode, Linda Zagzebski explains the argument from God’s infallible foreknowledge to the conclusion that no one has free will. After discussing several responses to the argument, she then explains why this problem is interesting—whether one is a theist or not.Linda’s website: https://www.ou.edu/cas/philosophy/people/faculty/linda-zagzebskiRecommended... resources:Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Foreknowledge and Free Will”: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/free-will-foreknowledge/Linda&apos... |
| 2020-Aug-17 • 55 minutes Episode 3: Logical Fatalism with Alicia Finch In this episode, Alicia Finch explains an intriguing argument for logical fatalism—the view that the laws of logic preclude out having free will—as well as four types of response to the argument.Alicia’s website: https://www.aliciafinch.com/Recommended resources:Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Fatalism”: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/fatalism/If... you have a question you’d like us to answer in our Q&A episode, get in touch with us at [email protected], via the show’s website: thefree... |
| 2020-Aug-04 • 3 minutes The Free Will Show Trailer Cohosts Taylor Cyr and Matt Flummer describe Season 1 of The Free Will Show.Taylor’s website: taylorwcyr.comMatt’s website: matthewflummer.weebly.com/If you have a question you’d like us to answer in our Q&A episode, get in touch with us at [email protected], via the show’s website: thefreewillshow.com, or through social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram:... https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook:... https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-10553503... |
| 2020-Jul-28 • 51 minutes Episode 2: Fatalism, Foreknowledge, and Determinism with John Martin Fischer In this episode, John Martin Fischer explains three potential threats to our having free will in the sense of having the freedom to do otherwise than what we actually do: the threats from logical fatalism, divine foreknowledge, and causal determinism. John ends by giving a teaser for an alternative conception of free will.John Martin Fischer’s website: https://alaw003.wixsite.com/johnmartinfischerRecommended... resources:The book that John mentions at the end of the episode is Four Views on Free Will: https... |
| 2020-Jul-28 • 40 minutes Episode 1: An Introduction to Free Will In this episode, cohosts Taylor Cyr and Matt Flummer present an introduction to the philosophy of free will, including a discussion of differing conceptions of free will, how free will is related to moral responsibility, and why it matters if we have free will.Recommended resources:Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Free Will”: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/freewill/The... study by psychologists from Brown University is: “Free Will without Metaphysics” by Andrew Monroe and Bertram Malle, available h... |
| 2020-Jul-27 • 39 minutes Episode 0: Introduction to the Free Will Show In this episode, cohosts Taylor Cyr and Matt Flummer introduce themselves and this podcast. Along the way they discuss what the discipline of philosophy is and why they’re making this podcast.Taylor’s website: taylorwcyr.comMatt’s website: matthewflummer.weebly.com/Also, Matt forgot to mention the name of his college: Porterville CollegeIf you have a question you’d like us to answer in our Q&A episode, get in touch with us at [email protected], via the show’s website: thefreewillshow.com, or thr... |