Do We Have Free Will? | Robert Sapolsky & Andrew Huberman

Summary

The video script delves into the concept of free will, challenging the notion with a deterministic perspective. It suggests that our choices are influenced by a complex interplay of genetic, environmental, and historical factors, leaving no room for free will. Despite this, the speaker argues that recognizing these influences can lead to a positive belief in change, even if we can't volitionally change ourselves. The discussion highlights the potential for optimism and inspiration, driven by understanding the mechanistic nature of our biology, which can subtly alter our brain's response to stimuli and our perception of what's possible.

Takeaways

• 🧠 The speaker argues against the existence of free will, suggesting that our choices are determined by a complex interplay of factors including genetics, environment, and past experiences.
• 🌱 The speaker emphasizes that while we may not have free will, we can still be influenced and changed by our circumstances, much like a sea slug's behavior can be conditioned.
• 🔬 The discussion highlights the intricate relationship between genetics, brain construction, and behavior, suggesting that our actions are a product of our biological makeup.
• 🌐 The speaker points out that our sensory environment, hormone levels, and even the culture of our ancestors all play a role in shaping who we are and how we make decisions.
• 🧪 The script discusses the concept of neuroplasticity, indicating that changes in the brain's structure and function can occur in response to experiences.
• 🌱 The speaker suggests that recognizing the lack of free will can paradoxically open up the possibility of change, as it shifts our focus from self-imposed change to being receptive to external influences.
• 🌟 The script mentions that knowledge of our mechanistic nature can make us more optimistic and inspire us to seek out positive influences, even though we cannot will ourselves to change.
• 🔄 The speaker refutes the idea that because we are biological machines, we are incapable of change, instead arguing that change is possible through external circumstances.
• 💡 The discussion implies that our understanding of the factors influencing our behavior can itself become a factor that influences our future behavior and decisions.
• 🌈 The script concludes by encouraging the pursuit of betterment and the acknowledgment that while change is difficult, it is not impossible, and striving to be better is a worthwhile endeavor.

Q & A

What is the speaker's stance on free will?

The speaker holds a controversial stance that we do not have any free will at all, contrary to the majority of philosophers and neuroscientists.

Why does the speaker believe there is no free will?

The speaker argues that our actions, choices, and behaviors are influenced by a multitude of factors such as sensory environment, hormone levels, past experiences, genetic makeup, and cultural upbringing, which are all intertwined and deterministic.

How does the speaker explain the influence of genetics on behavior?

The speaker suggests that genetics are inextricably linked to our brain's construction and the proteins it codes for, thus influencing our behavior.

What is the role of the sensory environment in shaping our choices according to the speaker?

The speaker posits that the sensory environment we experience, even in the immediate past, plays a significant role in influencing our decisions and actions.

Can knowledge about our genetic and environmental influences provide us with free will?

The speaker refutes this idea, stating that while knowledge can lead to a positive belief in change, it does not equate to having free will to change ourselves.

How does the speaker relate the concept of change to the idea of free will?

The speaker emphasizes that while we cannot volitionally change ourselves, we can be changed by circumstances, and this understanding can make us more receptive to positive change.

What example does the speaker use to illustrate how environmental changes can affect behavior?

The speaker uses the example of a sea slug (Aplysia) that learns to retract its gill in response to a shock, demonstrating how environmental stimuli can alter behavior through conditioning.

How does the speaker connect the neurobiology of a sea slug to human fear conditioning?

The speaker points out that the same neurobiological processes, such as signal transduction pathways involving kinases, proteases, and phosphatases, are at play in both the sea slug's learned response and human fear conditioning.

What does the speaker suggest about the impact of learning about our mechanistic nature?

The speaker suggests that understanding our mechanistic nature can make us more open to optimism and less likely to be discouraged, as we become more aware of the possibility of change.

How does the speaker view the endeavor of striving to be better human beings?

The speaker affirms that the endeavor to be better human beings is worthwhile, even if change is hard or impossible, because it aligns with our understanding of mechanistic neurobiology and the potential for environmental influence.

What is the speaker's final message regarding the potential for change and the role of understanding our biology?

The speaker concludes that understanding our biology and the potential for change can make us more optimistic and inspire us, without necessarily implying that we have free will to change ourselves.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 The Illusion of Free Will

The speaker challenges the concept of free will, arguing that our choices and behaviors are determined by a complex interplay of factors beyond our control. These factors include our sensory environment, hormone levels, past experiences, genetic makeup, and cultural upbringing. The speaker emphasizes that these influences are so deeply intertwined that there is no room for a separate concept of free will. The discussion also touches on the idea that while we cannot change ourselves through volition, we can be changed by external circumstances, and this understanding can lead to a positive belief in the possibility of change.

05:02

🌟 The Power of Belief in Change

This paragraph delves into how the belief in the possibility of change, despite a mechanistic view of the brain and its biology, can actually facilitate change. The speaker uses the example of a sea slug to illustrate that learning and environmental factors can alter behavior through neurobiological processes. The discussion then extends to humans, suggesting that by understanding the potential for change, we can become more receptive to positive influences and optimistic stimuli. This can lead to a shift in our behavior and attitudes, making us more resilient to negativity and more inclined to seek out and be inspired by positive examples. The speaker concludes by reinforcing the idea that striving to be better, even within the constraints of our biology, is a valuable pursuit.

Keywords

💡Free Will

Free will refers to the power of making choices that are neither determined by natural causality nor predestined by fate or divine will. In the video, the speaker argues against the existence of free will, suggesting that our behaviors and choices are the result of a complex interplay of factors such as genetics, environment, and past experiences. The speaker uses the example of a person's decision-making process, which is influenced by sensory input, hormone levels, and past experiences, to illustrate the absence of free will.

💡Neuroscience

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system and brain functions, including how they affect behavior, learning, and cognition. The video discusses the role of neuroscience in understanding the absence of free will, with the speaker suggesting that our choices are determined by neural processes that are influenced by various factors, including genetics and environmental stimuli. The speaker challenges the audience to identify a specific neuron or network of neurons that cause a behavior without any influence from external factors.

💡Genetics

Genetics is the study of genes, heredity, and the variation of inherited characteristics. In the context of the video, genetics is mentioned as one of the determinants of our behaviors and choices. The speaker implies that our genetic makeup, which is influenced by our ancestors, plays a significant role in shaping who we are, thus challenging the notion of free will.

💡Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity, is the brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of experience. The video touches on neuroplasticity as a factor that contributes to our behaviors and decisions, suggesting that changes in the brain's structure and function due to experiences can influence our choices, further complicating the idea of free will.

💡Epigenetics

Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene expression that do not involve alterations to the genetic code but can still be passed down to offspring. The video briefly mentions the epigenome and how it can influence our behaviors and choices, adding another layer to the complex web of factors that determine our actions and suggesting that free will might be an illusion.

💡Hormones

Hormones are chemical messengers in the body that regulate various functions, including mood and stress response. The speaker in the video points out that hormone levels, both in the present and those we were exposed to as fetuses, can significantly influence our behavior, which is another factor that challenges the concept of free will.

💡Cultural Influence

Cultural influence refers to the impact of one's cultural background on behavior and beliefs. The video discusses how the culture of our ancestors and the way we were parented as children are part of the factors that shape our choices, contributing to the argument against free will.

💡Evolution

Evolution is the process by which species of organisms change over time through genetic variation and natural selection. In the video, the speaker connects evolution to our behaviors, suggesting that our actions are not just a result of individual choices but are also a product of our species' evolutionary history.

💡Pavlovian Conditioning

Pavlovian conditioning, also known as classical conditioning, is a learning process in which a neutral stimulus comes to evoke a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally triggers the response. The video uses the example of a sea slug learning to retract its gill in response to a shock to illustrate how our behaviors can be changed by our environment, which is a form of change but not necessarily an exercise of free will.

💡Signal Transduction

Signal transduction is the process by which a cell converts one kind of signal or stimulus into another, often leading to a cellular response. The video mentions signal transduction pathways and how they are involved in learning and memory, suggesting that these biological processes underlie our behaviors and choices, which are not freely made but are responses to stimuli.

💡Fatalism

Fatalism is the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. The video argues against a fatalistic view, suggesting that while we may not have free will to change ourselves, we can be changed by circumstances. The speaker encourages the audience not to give up on the possibility of change, even if it's not a result of our own volitional decisions.

Highlights

Discussion on free will and the belief that we might not have any.

Challenge to the common view that we have free will, even among philosophers and neuroscientists.

Explanation of how our choices are influenced by sensory environment, hormone levels, and past experiences.

The role of neuroplasticity and early life experiences in shaping our behaviors.

Influence of ancestral culture and parenting on our sense of self and decision-making.

The interconnectedness of factors like evolution, genetics, and brain construction on behavior.

The difficulty in pinpointing a single cause for behavior amidst a complex web of influences.

The idea that there's no 'wiggle room' in the brain for a concept of free will that is independent of its biology.

The possibility of intervening in the 'domino effect' of causes and effects that lead to our behaviors.

The potential for knowledge about our biological and environmental influences to provide a sense of control.

The distinction between believing in change and the misconception of being able to change ourselves through volition.

How our brains can be changed by circumstance, using the example of a sea slug's learned behavior.

The importance of not being fatalistic and recognizing that change is possible, even if we don't have free will.

The neurobiological similarities between different species in response to environmental stimuli.

The impact of learning about change possibilities on our brain's response to optimistic stimuli.

The role of inspirational figures like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King in shaping our perception of what's possible.

The encouragement to strive for betterment despite the understanding that change is hard and not entirely within our control.

The final takeaway that understanding the mechanistic nature of neurobiology can make us more open to optimism and inspiration.

Transcripts

- Along the lines of choice,

I'd like to shift gears slightly and talk about free will,

about our ability to make choices at all.

- Well, my personal way out in left field

inflammatory stance is

I don't think we have a shred of free will.

Despite, you know, 95% of philosophers,

and I think probably the majority of neuroscientists saying

that we have free will in at least some circumstances,

I don't think there's any at all.

And the reason for this is you do something,

you behave, you make a choice, whatever.

And to understand why you did that

and where did that intention come from,

part of it was due to the sensory environment

you were in in the previous minute.

Some of it is from the hormone levels

in your bloodstream that morning.

Some of it is from whether you had a wonderful

or stressful last three months

and what sort of neuroplasticity happened.

Part of it is what hormone levels

you were exposed to as a fetus.

Part of it is what culture your ancestors came up with

and thus how you were parented when you were a kid.

All of those are in there,

and you can't understand where is coming from

without incorporating all of those.

And at that point,

not only are there all of these relevant factors,

but they're ultimately all one factor.

If you're talking about

what evolution has to do with your behavior,

by definition you're also talking about genetics.

If you're talking about

what your genes have to do with behavior,

by definition you're talking about

how your brain was constructed

or what proteins are coded for.

If you're talking about like your mood disorder now,

you're talking about the sense of efficacy

you were getting as a five-year-old.

They're all intertwined.

And when you look at all those influences,

basically the challenge is,

show me a neuron that just caused that behavior,

or show me a network of neurons

that just caused that behavior,

and show me that nothing about

what they just did was influenced

by anything from the sensory environment one second ago

to the evolution of your species.

And there's no space in there to fit in a freewill concept

that winds up being, you know,

in your brain, but not of your brain.

There's simply no wiggle room for it there.

- So I can appreciate that our behaviors

and our choices are the consequences

of a long line of dominoes that fell prior to that behavior.

But, is it possible that I can intervene

in the domino effect so to speak?

In other words, can my recognition

of the fact that genes have heritability,

there's an epigenome, that there's a hormonal context,

there's a historical context,

can the knowledge of that give me

some small, small shard of free will?

Meaning, does it allow me to say, ah, okay,

I accept that my choices are somewhat predetermined,

and yet knowing that gives me

some additional layer of control.

Is there any philosophical or biological universe

in which that works?

- Nah.

All of that can produce the wonderfully positive belief

that change can happen.

Even traumatic change, you know, the worst of circumstances,

most unlikely people and change can happen.

Things can change.

Don't be fatalistic.

Don't decide because we're mechanistic biological machines

that nothing can ever, change can happen,

but where people go off the rails is translating

that into we can change ourselves.

We don't, we can't because there's no free will.

However we can be changed by circumstance.

And the point of it is,

you look at an Aplysia, a sea slug,

that has learned to retract its gil

in response to a shock on its tail.

You can do like conditioning, Pavlovian conditioning on it,

and it is learned,

its behavior has been changed by its environment.

And you hear news about something

like horrifically depressing going on

and refugees in wherever,

and as a result, you feel a little bit more helpless

and a less of a sense of efficacy in the world,

and both of your behaviors have been changed.

Okay, okay, yeah, I guess,

but the remarkable thing is

it's the exact same neurobiology.

The signal transduction pathways that were happening

in that sea snail incorporate

the exact same kinases, and proteases, and phosphatases

that we do when you're having mammalian fear conditioning.

or when you're alert, it's conserved.

It's the exact same thing it's simply playing out

in obviously a much, much fancier domain.

And because you have learned that change is possible

despite understanding mechanistically

that we can't change ourselves volitionally,

but because you understand change is possible,

you have just changed the ability of your brain

to respond to optimistic stimuli,

and you have changed the ability of your brain

to now send you in the direction of being exposed

to more information that will seem cheerful

rather than depressing.

Oh my God, that's amazing what Nelson Mandela

and Martin Luther King and all these folks did.

Wow, under the most adverse of circumstances

they were able to do, maybe I can also.

Maybe I can go read more about people like them

to get even more data points of changed neurochemistry

so that your responses are different now.

And you know you're tilted a little bit more

in that direction of feeling like you can make a difference

instead of it's all damn hopeless.

So enormous change can happen,

but the last thing that could come out

of a view of we are nothing more or less

than the sum of our biology

and its interaction with environment

is to throw up your hands and say,

and thus it's no use trying to change anything.

- So we can acknowledge

that change is extremely hard to impossible,

that circumstances can change,

and yet that striving to be better human beings

is still a worthwhile endeavor.

- Do I have that correct?

- Absolutely, because simply the knowledge

either from experience

or making it to the end of the right neurobiology class

has taught you that change can happen

within a framework of a mechanistic neurobiology.

You are now more open to being made optimistic

by the good news in the world around you.

You are more likely to be inspired by this or that.

You are more resistant to getting discouraged by bad news,

simply because you now understand it's possible.

[light rock music]