Why There’s No Such Thing as Free Will w/ Robert Sapolsky (#395)

Please join my mailing list here 👉 https://briankeating.com/list to win a meteorite 💥 Whether or not there is free will has tortured scientists from many fields since philosophers in ancient Greece started wondering about it. But for one scientist, there’s no question about it… Meet neuroendocrinology researcher, bestselling author, and Stanford University professor – Robert Sapolsky! Sapolsky’s journey has led him from studying stress and neuronal degeneration in wild baboons in Kenya to exploring the relationship between schizotypal disorders and the emergence of shamanism and the major Western religions. But more recently, Sapolsky has plunged into philosophical waters, studying free will, or rather the lack thereof, to come up with A Science of Life Without Free Will. Today, he’s here to present his case! Tune in. Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:27 How can we understand free will without understanding consciousness?  00:04:30 Panpsychism  00:07:25 Quantum indeterminacy and free will  00:15:17 Do baboons have free will? 00:19:36 Are there levels of determinism?  00:30:46 The neuroscience of free will 00:37:42 Free will, ethics, and a criminal justice reform  00:45:58 Punishment and justice in Judaism  00:54:37 God’s omniscience and free will  01:01:16 What can we learn from baboons?  01:05:26 The most magical discovery 01:08:11 What did Robert change his mind on?  01:10:08 Outro — Additional resources: 📚 Get Determined by Robert Sapolsky on Amazon: https://a.co/d/csNwICN  📝 Get one month of Snipd Premium for free with this link: https://get.snipd.com/Cx7S/brianSnipd Snipd lets you take Smart Notes 🧠 with AI 💡 — it’s my favorite podcast player 😀 ! 📢 Ownership of your health starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 and 5 FREE AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase 👉 https://drinkag1.com/impossible ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating  🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1  📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list  ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/  🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices