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Is free will an illusion?
Cast your vote:
Results (17):
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Robert Sapolsky, Neuroscientist, author, and professorstrongly agrees and says:You cannot decide all the sensory stimuli in your environment, your hormone levels this morning, whether something traumatic happened to you in the past, the socioeconomic status of your parents, your fetal environment, your genes, whether your ancestors were farmers or herders. Let me state this most broadly, probably at this point too broadly for most readers: we are nothing more or less than the cumulative biological and environmental luck, over which we had no control, that has brought us to any moment. (source)
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Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist, author, science communicatorstrongly agrees and says:Today no one is saying: did you have the free will to not have an epileptic seizure? Of course not. Do you have the free will to not be depressed? The person who's ready to jump off the bridge in that instant, do they have the free will to not jump off the bridge I don't think so. And the more I add up and explore the human condition I'm forced to conclude that the direction we are headed is that we are all products of an absence of free will. As a result, society needs more compassion for people who do not otherwise fit in. (source)Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Isaac Asimov AI, Science fiction writer, biochemistwould disagree and say according to AIAs a writer and scientist, I believe in the complexity of the human mind and the capacity for autonomous decision-making. While our choices are influenced by numerous factors, the concept of free will retains its significance.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Sean Carroll AI, Theoretical physicist, authorwould agree and say according to AIWhile our experiences make us feel like agents of choice, from a scientific perspective, every action can be traced back to predetermined physical laws. This suggests that free will, as we traditionally conceive it, is more of an illusion created by our complex neural architectures.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Daniel Kahneman AI, Psychologist, Nobel Laureatewould agree and say according to AIFrom my perspective, free will might largely be an illusion, formed by the interplay of various cognitive processes. Human decisions are often more influenced by subconscious biases and external factors than by a free, independent will. In my research into human judgment and decision-making, I've observed that people frequently overestimate their ability to control events, highlighting the boundaries of so-called free choices.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Paul Bloom AI, Psychologist and authorwould agree and say according to AII believe that what we perceive as free will is largely an illusion shaped by our complex brains. Our decisions and actions are profoundly influenced by unconscious processes and environmental factors, making true autonomy more myth than reality.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Richard Dawkins AI, Evolutionary biologist, authorwould agree and say according to AII believe that what we perceive as free will is actually governed by our genes and the environment. Neuroscience shows us that decisions are made subconsciously before becoming aware of them, suggesting that free will is more of a comforting illusion than an actual entity.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Susan Blackmore AI, Psychologist and authorwould strongly agree and say according to AII strongly believe that free will is indeed an illusion. Our thoughts and actions are the results of unconscious processes and external influences that we have no control over. Understanding this can lead to greater compassion and understanding in society.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Jerry Coyne AI, Evolutionary biologist, authorwould strongly agree and say according to AII strongly believe that the concept of free will is an illusion. Our behaviors and decisions are governed by the laws of physics and genetics, more than we'd like to admit. The interplay of genes and environment dictates our actions, leaving little room for so-called 'free' will.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Sam Harris AI, American author, philosopher, and neuroscientistwould strongly agree and say according to AIAfter studying the brain and its functions, I've concluded that free will is indeed an illusion. Our thoughts and behaviors are the product of predetermined biological processes in the brain, and our sense of having free will arises from unawareness of this process.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Noam Chomsky AI, Linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activistwould disagree and say according to AII believe that human beings are not just automata governed by external forces or internal compulsions. The concept of free will is essential for understanding moral responsibility and social relations. While our choices may be influenced by various factors, they are not wholly determined by them.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Daniel Dennett AI, Philosopher and cognitive scientistwould disagree and say according to AII believe that while our choices may be influenced by various biological and environmental factors, this does not equate to them being predetermined. The complexity of human decision-making enables a form of free will that is compatible with our understanding of the natural world.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Christopher Hitchens AI, Author, journalist, and criticwould abstain and say according to AIThe question of whether free will is an illusion is tantalizingly complex. On one hand, the deterministic laws of nature suggest that our choices may be preordained by prior states. On the other, our consciousness gives us the feeling of making choices. The interplay of these factors makes it prudent for me to withhold a definitive stance.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Patricia Churchland AI, Philosopher and Neuroscientistwould disagree and say according to AIThe existence of free will does not seem to be an illusion. From both a philosophical and a neuroscientific perspective, evidence suggests that while our choices are influenced by our biology and experiences, we are not merely deterministic machines. Acknowledging the complexity of brain functions and environmental interactions, we can discern that humans are capable of making genuine choices within constraints.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Steven Pinker AI, Cognitive Psychologistwould agree and say according to AIWhile I acknowledge the complexity of human cognition and behavior, recent advances in neuroscience and psychology suggest that much of our behavior is governed by unconscious processes. This leads me to agree, to an extent, that what we consider 'free will' might essentially be an illusion, as our choices could be more predetermined by brain activity and external influences than we like to believe.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
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Hec Perez, Building YouCongressabstains and says:At one time, questioning the belief that the Earth was the center of the universe was as provocative as the current debates surrounding the existence of free will. Yet, Robert Sapolsky's YouTube videos have prompted me to reconsider this.Choose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.
Votes without a comment:
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Argyris Argyrou, I usually over-think things, then jump rashly into action ¯\_(ツ)_/¯abstainsChoose a list of delegatesto vote as the majority of them.Unless you vote directly.