TrueSciPhi

Podcast Profile: Free Will Matters

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17 episodes
2020 to 2021
Median: 13 minutes
Collection: Philosophy

Description (podcaster-provided):

The problem of free will has been at the center of many discussions in western philosophy for the last 20 centuries. But in recent years the problem has reappeared in a fresh form. There are new and exciting developments in the field that make this a fascinating topic of conversation. For this podcast we have invited various philosophers who work in free will. Philosophy might be a daunting thing, but with their help we will get to know better the what, the how and the why of free will. Welcome.

Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):

➤ free will debates • human agency and action theory • moral responsibility • consciousness, intentions, motor control • self-control, grit, self-deception • causation and mental causation • ethics, law, bioethics • disability and inclusive communities • theology and religion

This podcast explores contemporary debates about free will and human agency through interviews with philosophers and adjacent researchers. Across the conversations, guests clarify what it means to be an agent—someone who can act intentionally, exercise control, and shape a life—while also examining why this concept matters for how we understand responsibility, ethics, and everyday self-governance. A recurring focus is the relationship between free will and moral responsibility: what kinds of control, authorship, or “sourcehood” would be required for praise and blame, and how alternative pictures of agency might change our practices.

The discussions draw on multiple areas of philosophy, especially the philosophy of action and metaphysics, and they often connect these to moral psychology, philosophy of mind, and empirical perspectives from cognitive science and psychology. Topics commonly include intention and planning, self-control and weakness of will, the role of consciousness in skilled action, and how agency fits with scientific accounts of human behavior. The podcast also touches on broader implications for social life and institutions, including shared or collective agency, as well as how agency is affected by real-world constraints such as social and economic deprivation. Some episodes also situate free will within related domains like philosophy of religion, virtue theory, disability and inclusive communities, and the intersections of freedom with law and bioethics. Overall, the series aims to make current scholarly work on free will accessible by letting specialists explain key concepts, live controversies, and common misconceptions.

Episodes: