Interesting Videos



What is Free Will: Debate between Robert Sapolsky v. Daniel Dennett

This is a debate between Robert Sapolsky who is, by our definition, an afreeist and Daniel Dennet who is a compatibiist. Unfortunately, they spend a bit of time talking past each other. Both are determinists. The difference is that Dennett believe a people are morally responsible for  their choices even if they could not have done otherwise than what they did.  He does not give a good reason for this other than to say that humans evolved an ability to choose. But this is no explanation at all. Many animals and even some machines have the ability to choose. We would never say they have free will. Sapolsky takes the afreeist view that, since we can never do otherwise than what we do, people are never morally responsible for what they do. Rather punishments must be based on other notions such as notions of deterrence.  Nevertheless, the debate is interesting and even entertaining.