182 - Free Will Is A Myth (But We Need It Anyway)
How much free will do we really have? Can we choose not to be angry at the news? To not eat or drink? Can we “choose” how we feel about our boss? Or our spouse?
In this episode we’ll dive into the murky waters of free will—or the lack thereof—through the lens of popular culture, primatology, and psychology. Inspired by the haunting character of Rust Cohle from True Detective, we’ll try to answer whether or not human beings are simply “programmed” by our environments, genetics, and hormones (much like Rust suggests) or whether we have free will in a more biblical sense.
We also discuss the now-famous Sapolsky lectures about free will, and discuss the role of epigenetics, social conditioning, and evolutionary psychology in shaping our “choices.” Along the way, we’ll dissect fascinating studies on willpower and decision-making, from prison release boards deciding inmates' fates based on blood sugar levels, to how holding a warm coffee can influence your opinion of a stranger. Then we delve into how hormones like progesterone may subtly dictate mate preferences—perhaps explaining why some prefer “bad boys” while others go for the artistry David Bowie types.
The episode culminates with the big question: Are we “free agents” in our own lives? Or are we more like tourists in a theme park, picking which roller coaster we want to ride, but ultimately limited to what’s available within the park itself?
Links:
The Stanford Sapolsky Lectures:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNnIGh9g6fA&list=PL848F2368C90DDC3D&ab_channel=Stanford
Other Links:
https://news.yale.edu/2008/10/23/hot-coffee-we-see-warm-heart-yale-researchers-find
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2011/apr/11/judges-lenient-break