“Never lose sight of the fact that you’re having a biological experience.” — Tom Bilyeu In his captivating book, ‘Determined’, Robert Sapolsky lays out a convincing case that our sense of free will is a myth. Many won’t like this for the following reason — our affinity for
This is a great contribution, Andrew, thanks for your thoughts. I've not considered reading Sapolsky's book so far because I find the whole idea of determinism rather depressing. It's not that I disagree: our choices are limited, that's for sure. It is equally true that, with psychedelics, true revelations and changes in our brain are possible. Whether I do what I do because I will to do so or because my genetic and mental wiring lead me to it seems mostly irrelevant to me. I have no choice but to continue filling my reality with my rather trivial decisions. Life is a paradox, that's for sure.
Great topic, per usual, and I look forward to checking out the book. My operating theory at the moment is that, yeah, for a lot of the reasons you mention (and others), we really don't have *that much* "free will," but perhaps our own satisfaction and joy may depend on our ability to learn to see, and deeply experience, that which we're given as a gift rather than as chains. Which is not an easy psychological place to arrive at! Not for the feint of heart anyway. And that, yes, psychedelics can probably play an important (though sometimes confusing) role in moving us in that direction.
This is a great contribution, Andrew, thanks for your thoughts. I've not considered reading Sapolsky's book so far because I find the whole idea of determinism rather depressing. It's not that I disagree: our choices are limited, that's for sure. It is equally true that, with psychedelics, true revelations and changes in our brain are possible. Whether I do what I do because I will to do so or because my genetic and mental wiring lead me to it seems mostly irrelevant to me. I have no choice but to continue filling my reality with my rather trivial decisions. Life is a paradox, that's for sure.
For anyone toying with the non-existence of free will, have a read of Raymond Tallis,, several excellent books (search Amazon https://www.amazon.fr/s?k=raymond+tallis&__mk_fr_FR=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=2JZ1IOSG73R8E&sprefix=raymond+tallis%2Caps%2C226&ref=nb_sb_noss
Highly recommended by me: Aping Mankind, The Explicit Animal)
and articles at The New Atlantis and Philosophy Now. An example:
How Can I Possibly Be Free?
Why the neuroscientific case against free will is wrong
Raymond Tallis
https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/how-can-i-possibly-be-free
And here's an excellent review of an astounding book by another of my fav philosophers, Thomas Nagel:
Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False
The Review (by Tallis) is at
https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/bringing-mind-to-matter
Great topic, per usual, and I look forward to checking out the book. My operating theory at the moment is that, yeah, for a lot of the reasons you mention (and others), we really don't have *that much* "free will," but perhaps our own satisfaction and joy may depend on our ability to learn to see, and deeply experience, that which we're given as a gift rather than as chains. Which is not an easy psychological place to arrive at! Not for the feint of heart anyway. And that, yes, psychedelics can probably play an important (though sometimes confusing) role in moving us in that direction.