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Sam Harris speaks with Robert Sapolsky about the widespread belief in free will. They discuss the limits of intuition, the views of Dan Dennett, complexity and emergence, downward causation, abstraction, epigenetics, predictability, fatalism, Benjamin Libet, the primacy of luck, historical change in attitudes about free will, implications for ethics and criminal justice, the psychological satisfaction of punishing bad people, understanding evil, punishment and reward as tools, meritocracy, the consequences of physical beauty, the logic of reasoning, and other topics.
Robert M. Sapolsky is the author of several works of nonfiction, including A Primate’s Memoir, The Trouble with Testosterone, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, and most recently, Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will. His book titled Behave was a New York Times bestseller and named a best book of the year by The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. He is the John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor of biology, neurology, and neurosurgery at Stanford University and the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” He and his wife live in San Francisco.
Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.
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#299 - Steps in the Right Direction
#298 - Leaving the Faith (Rebroadcast)
#297 - Preparing for the End
#296 - Repairing Our Country
#295 - Philosophy and the Good Life
#294 - Status Games
#293 - What I Really Think About Trump and Media Bias
#292 - How Much Does the Future Matter?
#291 - Where is Happiness?
#290 - What Went Wrong?
#289 - Time Management for Mortals
#288 - The End of Global Order
#287 - Why Wealth Matters
#286 - The Paradox of Psychedelics
#285 - American Division
#284 - The Funny Business
#283 - Gun Violence in America
#282 - Do You Really Have a Self?
#281 - Western Culture and Its Discontents
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