Genetics and the Brain with Kevin Mitchell | Reason with Science | Evolution | Neuroscience

This episode is with Kevin Mitchell. He is an associate professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin, where he investigates how genetic variations influence neural wiring, cognition, and conditions like autism and schizophrenia. Kevin is also the author of Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are and Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will. Here, we discuss the laws of biology and the nature of free will. Kevin also shares insights on agency as a defining feature of life, the meaning of self, and the evolution of perception.Guests info:Website: https://www.kjmitchell.com/X: https://x.com/WiringTheBrainEpisode links: Website: https://reasonwithscience.com/genetic-and-the-brain-with-kevin-mitchellYoutube: https://youtu.be/eOyNWCjBuQc?si=Nz09vBN0mCFN8nuFSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4HVcFuG48HLu4T92aXflLM?si=a68eee4f113e4aeeApple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/genetics-and-the-brain-with-kevin-mitchell/id1641776894?i=1000692566036YouTube music: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=eOyNWCjBuQc&si=AMWPfTZthe8zS5tEFollow Reason with Science: Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReasonwithScience Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qFLGsPWjL4GAGidmF2nKh Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reason-with-science/id1641776894 YouTube music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLila1Jm-QEwKu4xXtNpYFAsSDmPR9mlZB&si=5ehXeZhZ-z181G5bTimestamps:00:00:00 Introduction00:01:55 Biology vs. Chemistry and Physics00:04:02 Reductionism in Science00:16:09 Emergence and Evolution00:26:59 Free Will Discussion00:41:42 Cognition and System Irreducibility00:44:03 Genetics and Psychological Predispositions00:55:17 Complexity of Interactions01:04:39 Engineering Free Will01:07:38 Social Impacts of Free Will01:11:53 Long-term Free Will and Decisions