Sam Harris on "Free Will"

This lecture was recorded on March 25, 2012 as part of the Distinguished Science Lecture Series hosted by Michael Shermer and presented by The Skeptics Society in California (1992-2015).
SAM HARRIS IS THE AUTHOR of the New York Times bestsellers, The Moral Landscape, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. His new book is short (96) pages, to the point, and will change the way we all view free will, as Oliver Sacks wrote: "Brilliant and witty - and never less than incisive - Free Will shows that Sam Harris can say more in 13,000 words than most people do in 100,000." UCSD neuroscientist V.S, Ramachandran notes: "In this elegant and provocative book, Sam Harris demonstrates - with great intellectual ferocity and panache - that free will is an inherently flawed and incoherent concept, even in subjective terms. If he is right, the book will radically change the way we view ourselves as human beings."
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[@AKhanboxing]

friend 1: man, I am really struggling here, what would you do if you were me? friend 2: well, if I were you, I would literally do the exact same thing you will do

[@Longtack55]

"Exact" and "same" are exactly the same in that, together, they confer nothing beneficial to a phrase.

[@AKhanboxing]

@@Longtack55 was just trying to emphasize what the joke was sir

[@mistermoon4508]

Don't you hate it when your stomach drops? But we have to man up, go through the negative energy motions of our gut brain/soul and accept what is.

[@wingsuiter2392]

Solid

[@modthings7855]

nice

[@eggomaniac289]

"I used to believe that the brain was the most interesting part of the body. But then I thought, 'Wait, look who's telling me that.'" -- Emo Phillips

[@prettybabyface7313]

Lol I got the joke 😀

[@BobaDavis]

@Kehnai Bohnyu Lol, his brain!

[@Fireoncityy]

Lmao

[@alansplitter01]

lmfao this is hilarious

[@Mr2TIMOTHY4V2]

No you decide to bash the brain because you are a follower of your guru Sammy and not Yahuah or his Son Yahushua 2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, not set apart from the world (pw unholy), 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Praying COVID-19 patient, 82, is bludgeoned to death at Lancaster hospital - atheists in action ??? Yeah no need for moral conviction which they erroneously call faith ( fides goddess) Sammy boy here would say he had no choice but to pick up that oxygen tank and beat his brains out , right? Sammy is fulfilling prophesy as submitted by Apostle Shaul.

[@maartenr1990]

I love this guy. (Not by choice tho)

[@rkhan722]

That’s why he is not impressed 😜

[@lanny7683]

🙌🏻

[@joshmiller9559]

I think he is wrong (It is my choice tho)

[@maartenr1990]

@@joshmiller9559 It is your choice that you think that, yeah?

[@ZEZERBING]

Nice!!

[@nickknowles8402]

This is the best to listen to when youre drunk and depressed

[@ATOK_]

I agree😂

[@samm1809]

9:30 "I cannot take credit for the fact that I don't have the soul of a psychopath." *clears throat suspiciously*

[@samm1809]

***** Both myself and the introducer completely disagree. All Sam Harris DOES is get to the point. As to the throat clearing, It doesn't bother me. Plus, most people are very stupid, and benefit from having a looooong time to process new ideas about abstract, intangible topics. If the pace and speech bother you so much, then I suppose it's good that he's primarily recognised as a writer, and has written a book on the topic, which is plugged in the intro.

[@Platypie8]

We're not machines built out of logical gates, like computers, though I really liked the idea that we can replace neurons and still be the same consciousness :3 As long as evolution can do magical things like trick us into thinking we have free will, why can't it give us free will?

[@ShawnLastname]

Ayyye!

[@ragyquiteque8700]

hahahaha

[@acerbicatheist2893]

Platypus are monotremes ; 5 species exist and 4 are echidnae. Just tossing that out in case anyone thought that they were birds, reptiles, mammals, or something... We have to pretend to act as though we have free-will just as we have to pretend we're not brains in vats, and SH addresses this, just not enough. Heigh-ho. Maybe I've seen too much presuppositional apologetics nonsense lately...e.g. Sye Ten Bruggencate, Matt Slick, and even the much-vaunted William Lane Craig, no matter how he tap-dances around with crap versions of TAG, CAG, FAG, and SLAG...! XD Sorry couldn't resist it.

[@tinyturnip7676]

I had to comment. I have no choice.

[@FuckFascistYouTube]

Exactly.

[@tiffsaver]

+Joe Jr. LOL!!

[@endoalley680]

I am freely choosing not to comment.

[@vidfreak56]

You can't freely choose to not comment because every choice is motivated.

[@endoalley680]

vidfreak56 - Every choice is the outcome of countless atoms behaving to simple laws of physics that could not behave otherwise. Some of those atoms and molecules are in my brain and body. Some are in the surrounding environment.

[@cmvamerica9011]

Those who judge, never understand; those understand never judge.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

But we all have the ability to discern. The mind is a chatterbox. You remain aware and eventually you become quite capable of choosing what thoughts to ignore and which ones to take to heart, free will. ​ We all have Divine souls and flesh bodies. Our souls are immortal and reincarnate. Life is so much more complex than our parents just having sex, believe me, God Blessed me and His wonderful new practice Falun Dafa explains creation, trust me please and take a look.

[@melinaduffy4978]

“If you can’t control your next thought and you don’t know what it’s gonna be until it arises where is your freedom of will.” - Sam Harris. Wow.

[@XnonTheGodd]

@@romanfrenkel8717 disagreements is bcs you have pre existing memory of what you experienced

[@aeroblivion5961]

I’ve realized this and I almost wish I would’ve never of tasted this piece of knowledge. It has made me somewhat uneasy. Somehow a part of me wishes I could think outside of the premise of my two brain hemispheres to not be predictable, which is completely crazy. Anyways just loosing my mind here

[@aeroblivion5961]

I’ve realized this and I almost wish I would’ve never of tasted this piece of knowledge. It has made me somewhat uneasy. Somehow a part of me wishes I could think outside of the premise of my two brain hemispheres to not be predictable, which is completely crazy. Anyways just loosing my mind here

[@aeroblivion5961]

I’ve realized this and I almost wish I would’ve never of tasted this piece of knowledge. It has made me somewhat uneasy. Somehow a part of me wishes I could think outside of the premise of my two brain hemispheres to not be predictable, which is completely crazy. Anyways just loosing my mind here

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Life is all about karmic retribution.

[@Vlasko60]

"You have free will because the boss said so" Christopher Hitchens sarcasm.

[@sparkside217]

Coming back to this talk 6 years later, it's still one of the most important lessons I've ever learned.

[@Rocky_Anunnaki]

Coming back 9 yrs later and still Great.

[@tasinhoque3003]

Very relatable. I've read the book previously, but learned so much from this talk!

[@sparkside217]

@@romanfrenkel8717 To not waste my time being angry at people for their actions, holding grudges, etc. Also to realize that it's irrational to think anyone can just "pull themelves up by their bootstraps" or "make the right choice" in ways that people think they can.

[@acraze2287]

@@sparkside217 people on the surface will hear this argument and think that having no free will is a negative and cant be true, but if you look deeper and think about it plus sam explains this, it's actually the ultimate reason for compassion. i think people's egos and closemindedness prevents mainstream conversation of this topic though honestly.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

The word conscience is the prefix con(with) and the word science, conscience.

[@atheistmom3591]

Revisiting this talk. Thank you, Sam. ❤

[@josephinetracy1485]

Sam Harris is a devoutly religious man. The State is his Religion, the Government is his Church, Politicians are his Clergy, Law is his Bible, and he has lots and lots of Faith!

[@-Swamp_Donkey-]

#Jew

[@rayh3796]

I have no idea why I like this speaker

[@swapblue]

clarity of thoughts, brevity of language, some humor and oh yes, the soothing voice!

[@flumpyhumpy]

The 80s were so good. They don't make music like this anymore.

[@charlottemae3238]

His consciousness gave a great speech.

[@XnonTheGodd]

LOL

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Life is all about karmic retribution.

[@pedestrian_0]

His consciousness was aware that he was giving a speech, not the consciousness itself giving the speech

[@JohnPaul-jg7es]

*his subconscious

[@enterpassword3313]

@@robertjsmith bro you might want to delete all these comments lol

[@tpstrat14]

Understanding the limitations of your willpower is one of the keys to escaping depression, or at least mitigating it. It’s the realization that spurs me to change the way I think. I recently began noticing what I have always thought of as “bad habits”. It turns out that mere noticing is the level of control I have over smoking, eating bad food, refusing to exercise and go outside more. And that’s perfectly ok: As I simply notice my habits instead of judging them and uselessly trying to stop them, I am beginning to see an innocent reason for them, and as a result I am beginning to be able to change them naturally and without “effort” I see that my brain is pushing my body a certain way because it has been taught to think a certain way since early childhood. I have been trained to be afraid. I would not have had the opportunity to realize this if I remained married to the assumption that I choose suffering from a state of perfectly clear free will. That ultimate judgment on myself- the assumption that I am making choices from a clear head- is the ultimate cause of my depression, not my “bad habits”. What you resist persists, what you accept you can transform

[@sian7839]

H

[@isabt4]

Timothy Stratton thank you Timothy! Your words are very helpful

[@tegan71969]

I believe you're talking about mindfulness. Something that Sam talks about often and from my perspective seems to refute his no free will argument? If you stop to contemplate, are mindful of your immediate negative action, say just before you're about to lift the spoon full of ice cream into your mouth, isn't this a means of at least trying to control that lack of free will? Anyhow, I'm coming to the realization that some of us, me included, who are deficient in habit control, discipline, etc., need more mindfulness and self talk to at the very least, help control our ingrained self direction.

[@daniellemeyer8568]

I agree that willpower is very limited... and therefore you need to form/change habits in a way that doesn't rely on willpower. I don't think the best way to change a habit is to stop judging it and stop trying to change. In fact, I don't think this would work at all for most people. Look at the "fat acceptance movement"... becoming complacent with your bad habits doesn't lead to change but rather unsurprisingly it leads to... complacency. Instead you need to fully understand how the brain forms and creates habits and then properly use that process to retrain and reform your habits. This requires much less willpower because you are working with the brain rather than against it. I've read many books on this subject and none of them suggest your method (I'm not saying it doesn't work... just that based on the science I've read and PROVEN working methods of changing habits/brain thought processes I don't see how it could work). The Power of Habit, Habits: A 12-Week Journal to Change your Habit, Atomic Habits, and Feeling Good are some really good books on this subject.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Life is all about karmic retribution.

[@MightyGorb]

This video really helped me this last week. A verbally abusive teacher over the last year has shattered my self confidence with constant bullying and toxic behaviour. I’ve removed him from my life but was left feeling angry with low self esteem. The possibility that his cruelty and machismo isn’t fully his choice helps me find room to be less angry. The possibility that my flaws and mistakes are the sum of my experiences and my neurological make-up gives me a great starting point to grow and get rid of shame.

[@JonHarrington9075]

One of the best comments on this issue that I've ever seen !! I'm totally with you on this.... I'm able now not to hate a person for hurting me....I might still hate what they've done to me, and to decide not to be with them if possible, but I no longer see them as having had the "freedom" to have decided to act differently...... Likewise, I couldn't have chosen not to be hurt at the time..... Accepting no free will makes me more aware of the influences other people can have on me - and maybe more importantly, the influences I can have upon them..... I think Christians are supposed subscribe to the commandment "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" I'm not a Christian, but am getting closer to this way of being, through "no free will" It doesn't mean I brush off hurtful things that I've done, but I can shed unecessary guilt, and make better decisions.....no free will doesn't negate learning from experience..... I've noticed that a lot of the anger and bitter comments come from people defending free will from a religious point of view.....very often lacking compassion, understanding, and certainly "love" It's quite striking, tbh...... I'm grateful to have recognised no free will......it became obvious to me years ago.....but I lacked the perspective to have been able to see the positive side of it..... So totally refreshing to read your comment !

[@backtodaboom2444]

Naw fuck him bro

[@davidaIano]

Well said. I'm trying to do the same in my own life but it really is quite inconvenient that as it seems to me, holding a grudge is in my nature.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Life is all about karmic retribution.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

To expand our consciousness and spiritual wisdom, we all need a great teacher.....................falun dafa

[@stephenhogg6154]

“The greatest discovery of any generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering the attitudes of their minds.” ― Albert Schweitzer.

[@unclemunch]

"No one knows what’s next, but everybody does it." George Carlin

[@The22on]

Carlin is my 'god' - in a weird way. I call myself a "Carlinist". I agree with almost everything he said and his philosophy is cool. He got old and said he doesn't worry about things like politics anymore because he "doesn't have a stake in the outcome". i.e. He's too old to be affected by government decisions. I, too, am getting older - no choice, dammit! I still care, though - about climate change for instance. Personally, I think there's a good chance we'll have a nuclear war or famine or plague or something that will end our technological civilization for millennia - kinda like Planet of the Apes without the apes lol. Detour: I think the ending of Planet of the Apes is the coolest one ever. Instead of Heston SAYING that humans had a nuclear war, they SHOW the Statue of Liberty all bent. And that's why the apes call the area the Forbidden Zone. And THAT is why Hollywood is the envy of the whole world. They have screenwriters who invent this stuff. It's also like Forbidden Planet's "reveal" where the monster is really the projected thoughts of the character. That has to be one of the deepestFreudian reveals in history. Say what you will about Hollywood; When it comes to stuff like that, no place else does it better. RIP George Carlin. Like you, I'm an atheist and think there are mostly idiots in America. I think about 1% of Americans keeps the whole thing going - Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and some others. Who am I forgetting? I would have loved to have dinner with George Carlin and Christopher Hitchens and a few hookers. Did I say that? My bad. See? That's what no free will brings!

[@jaredmartin7040]

Carlin is a genius love the guy

[@ruprectgreatrex9153]

@@The22on you're not part of the 1%, ergo why the fuck would they care what you think. in fact, by your lights, why should anyone care what you think?

[@tomrhodes1629]

Thanks for that great quote, which I can appreciate more than most, knowing the true nature of "free will" and our connection to it. Sam Harris doesn't realize that he is an intelligent bag of contradictions. Because, he believes that we don't have free will, and yet there is no "God." So, exactly who or what's will IS done, Sam? He won't understand until he reads my book, which will never happen. Perhaps in his next life? God's prophet has spoken.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Life is all about karmic retribution.

[@jossanchez9513]

"Where is the freedom in doing what one wants, when one's wants are the products of prior causes which one cannot inspect and therefore could not choose and one has absolutely no hand in creating?" End of the argument. 👏👏

[@troyzieman7177]

I will never understand why this concept bothers people . It makes sense and doesnt change the game for me . It does make me somewhat understanding to other people's decisions. I find I am less judgemental.

[@LotusHart01]

Same

[@andrewmarinelly5838]

This argument is the same as "the god of the gaps" argument. Determinism has relied more and more on the scientific argument because it leads opposition to have to theorize outside of our known world. We know the limits of our current understanding and it's very, very limited. Determinism is not a model to build anything useful from in human social systems like laws, education, parenting, healthcare and so on. I have never met a child that believes in determinism making it a learned theory, that does not make it untrue, but odd that free thought (reasoning) would lead to a conclusion that is predetermined. It is useless to debate on either side it is far more sane and practical to admit we don't know but it at the moment seems far more likely that determinism is correct. we know we are 3 dimensional beings and can mathematically prove the potential for the existence of other dimensions. We know we can't replicate the 4th dimension but can demonstrate what the shadow of a tesseract would look like to us. This could be relevant to this debate if consciousness existed outside of our limited 3D bodies. I can't argue the likelihood of that just the possibility and if that were true and has the potential to be true this whole debate is pointless. If "I think therefore I am" can I prove that you think? Can I prove that you exist? Should I operate on that assumption or the one that doesn't justify me killing you because your a figment of my imagination. Long winded way of saying even if you can argue for a theory that makes perfect sense if its application are not practical why try to convince others unless you had an implicit bias.

[@gJonii]

This "free will is illusion" is just silly nonsense and it gets really frustrating hearing the same misconception spread time and time again

[@troyzieman7177]

@@gJonii it is obvious to anyone that has looked at it

[@gJonii]

@@troyzieman7177 Clearly not. Although, to his credit, the speaker presented one of the lesser crazy versions of this idea. He seems to be almost there understanding where social responsibility etc comes from, but is failing to understand what self is

[@oldwisetale]

Of course we have free will, We have no other choice.

[@matthewd6306]

You would say that, wouldn't you?

[@oldwisetale]

You tell me. You know me better than anyone else sweetheart.

[@frederickluebker1240]

Hitch said that right?

[@oldwisetale]

Yes sir, He did!

[@vamp403]

Hey just curious, would you happen to know which vid or book says that i would love to watch or read it

[@CynicalScorpio]

This is life changing. So basically our life is a movie, and we are tricked into thinking we control the main character. But we are just merely watching/feeling from their perspective, in a sense.

[@LuckyBastardCandleCo]

thats the argument, but come on, thats not true

[@eternalchange5496]

The idea is that even that "feeling" of being able to choose is an illusion.

[@Manikese]

Joel Jensen, אתה כלב Schlomo Shillman Shekelstein , you guys are both wonderful and I feel at home as I read a respectful debate between 2 people and 2 different ideas. Personally this concept of no free will came to my attention a week ago and I have not been able to put it down. Your argument has helped me to continue clarifying the concept in my head. My addition to the argument is this: If we had free will then I could have had pizza for breakfast this morning. But that thought never came to my consciousness because I am not free. To truly be free we would have to have the ability to make any decision or perform any humanly possible action at any time. Little Timmy May have been able to have pizza for breakfast because it was in his mind, but I couldn’t have. It wasn’t a choice for me to make. I envision this as a mountain of choices being made. Trillions of decisions at the bottom layer, then a little less based on those decisions, then as you go up the mountain there are less and less options. You go up the mountain and trillions of layers of decisions have been made. Then you get to the top of the mountain. As you near the top, you enter a cloud. This cloud is where the decision making process starts to enter your conscious. As you break through the cloud, you are now in you conscious. At the very tip of the mountain you have a few choices left to make (at least 2). Then you make your final choice. But you weren’t able to make “any” choice. This would be required in order to label the choice as “free”. However you were able to make a conscious choice. We are still able to make choices, but they are limited. And that is what it means to not have free will. It is not the ability to make choices, that we don’t possess, it is the lack of the ability to make any choice.

[@Manikese]

Joel Jensen Lmbo, no, not this morning there wasn’t 😆

[@Manikese]

Joel Jensen He (Sam Harris), does seem to think only his way is the right way. This definitely makes sense as everything he says has lots of thought put into it, and he only says what he is certain of. He is incredibly brilliant. I have been watching his KZbin videos and listening to his podcasts and his debates. However I do find that he is mistaken in this video. He has things mostly correct. What we think and the choices we have are mostly determined. However, he doesn’t have a valid argument for the example of choosing to raise your left or right hand. There is no prior influence that is deciding this decision for you. You carry no weight on either choice. Your nature and nurture couldn’t possibly predict the decision you will make. The study that shows the brain choosing before your conscious does is flawed. Therefore we have 1 example of a non-determined choice that we can make. There is gray area here. I think 99%+ of all the actions we take are not based on free will. However that does not prove, and there is no proof, that free will does not exist.

[@PauloSossa]

1 hour of PURE GOLD

[@jeffforsythe9514]

To expand our consciousness and spiritual wisdom, we all need a great teacher.....................falun dafa

[@mashable8759]

"The urge for retribution is actually an artifact of us not seeing the true causes of human behavior" - 47:50

[@pashute12]

Just like cruelty, the urge for retribution is an important part of society and not acknowledging it (along with the ignoring of free will) is part of Western societies illnesses.

[@FirstnameLastname-bn4gv]

@@pashute12 Western society doesn’t ignore free will. By and large, it (mistakenly) believes free will exists.

[@swapblue]

@@pashute12 free will is coded into US constitution, Sam mentions it

[@mrloop1530]

I could never see any way to argue for a free will, but I'm still destined to believe I have one. I have no choice in the matter.

[@CalvinHikes]

That's a very fair response.

[@brentpowell89]

53:56 "Love and Compassion make sense" - Sam Harris No matter who you are or whatever you believe this statement should hold true.

[@jamesiaustin4517]

Great video

[@jeremiahkirkman100]

@@jamesiaustin4517 legit. regardless of free will there are things obviously good and bad for us.

[@bornfree8073]

It didnt hold true for most of human history but only recently does it hold true. Just in the 1960 scientist were inflicting std on third world country citizens for human experiments. Not long ago, the ussr was killing millions. And before that slavery was common place. love and compassion has not made sense to humans for most of our history and is not objective truth

[@janetleavens1543]

Yes! When I tell people we have no free will, they will ask, “Well, why then don’t you just lie in bed all day?” Simply put, getting out of bed makes sense. Just like love and compassion make sense. Just because my will isn’t mine (isn’t free) doesn’t suddenly change the fact that I still desire all the same things that I did before (like being successful and having great relationships). We aren’t free to will anything, but we also aren’t free not to desire things or to be any less intelligent than we actually are. If some people sometimes are not free not to commit crimes, many, many other people are not free not to be good. Sam Harris, for example, is not free not to be a brilliant speaker.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Life is all about karmic retribution.

[@mikefufuffalo8487]

I love how he says, "K" Before every sentence, really fast and quiet. lol. Also, he is totally right. To quote Bill Hicks, "it's just a ride."

[@Legac3e]

How did I never notice that before!? In no less than 10 seconds of resuming the conversation (after reading your message), he did exactly that! I cannot unhear it now... So thanks a lot for that! :p

[@mikefufuffalo8487]

@@Legac3e Ahahahha, suffer like I do! lol

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Life is all about karmic retribution.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

We all have free will and God respects that gift and that is why He has permitted us to allow this planet to become demonic but no more, the Apocalypse is upon us................falundafa

[@mikefufuffalo8487]

@@jeffforsythe9514 Lmfao, hilarious. Did a bronze-aged fairy tale book tell you that? Lol it's like you're children. I think it's time the world grows up and stops believing in our imaginary friend.

[@bradwilson5552]

“If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice” RUSH -

[@paulsenkans3401]

I was thinking of Rush when this was starting!

[@Metal73Mike]

More accurately, the quote is from Neil Peart (requiescat in pace). Epic, as are all his lyrics :-)

[@jessemontano762]

"slappin da base!

[@tomrhodes1629]

Very true, Jack. For, "the words of the prophets are written on the studio walls." But what most people don't understand is that there is a huge difference between WILL and CHOICE. You can CHOOSE to desire any particular outcome in any particular situation. And maybe that outcome will happen, and maybe it won't. But if you were able to WILL that outcome, it would NECESSARILY come to pass, GUARANTEED! Sam Harris doesn't realize that he is an intelligent bag of contradictions. Because, he believes that we don't have free will, and yet there is no "God." So, exactly who or what's will IS done, Sam? He won't understand until he reads my book, which will never happen. Perhaps in his next life? God's prophet has spoken.

[@Vlasko60]

On the album the lyrics read "If you choose not to decide, you cannot have made a choice", but in the song it is "still have made a choice". I think Neil was making a point......or he wasn't : )

[@akshatvyas7387]

The stories that people create to justify their decision is called post-operative rationalization. Rationalization is a defence mechanism that we use to justify our actions, but it happens after we make the decision. (making it post-op) The unknown reason why we choose one option over the other shows our lack of free will.

[@orias12]

A long time ago I made a realization that completely changed my perspective on life. I realized that we always do our best in every decision we make. We cannot do better, and we cannot do worse. We can only ever do our very best. I was always so wracked with guilt over the decisions I did not and could not make in life. It came down either accepting that I simply was who I was, or rejecting everything about myself. Given all of your experiences that bring you to that very moment, you simply can make no other choice than the choices you make. That is not to say you can not do better in the future. It simply depends on what state you are in at that moment, taking everything into account. Sam just now took that even further than I ever realized.

[@Mr2TIMOTHY4V2]

"I realized that we always do our best in every decision we make. " false - the decision you make is already flawed when it disobeys Torah - it is set to fail and leads you down the slippery downward spiral to the lake of fire. One Torah transgression leads to another - eg lies can lead to murder which can lead to more lies and more murder

[@JonHarrington9075]

Totally agree with you ! Regarding the other comment, I'd maybe say that we make the choices that make most sense to us.....and we can't choose what makes us feel that a choice is what makes most sense for us.....

[@JonHarrington9075]

@@Mr2TIMOTHY4V2 but why should we be expected to have blind faith in the Torah ? I really struggle with that......and I'm unable to steer my thoughts in any other way..... So that means I should be tortured for eternity ? Can't I live a good, useful life without the faith necessary for your religion ?🤔 And why choose yours above others ? I'm simply unable to override my supposed free will..... So I'm on the road to eternal damnation I guess..... How would you define your "self" ?

[@orias12]

@@Mr2TIMOTHY4V2 it seems to me the Torah has lead plenty of people down that slippery path to immorality and murder all on its own. Not sure of the relevance of your comment

[@JonHarrington9075]

@@orias12 brilliant

[@pranavbiraris3426]

You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.

[@kamiltrzebiatowski9331]

"We don't choose to choose what we choose." This goes on my wall soon.

[@nebulous6660]

and yet, we do... I chose, to choose to write that.

[@kend7597]

@@nebulous6660 yeah but you didn’t choose to choose to choose to write that, did you?

[@nebulous6660]

Actually yes, I chose to click the video, then chose to listen to it, then chose to read your comment, then chose to think about it, then chose to respond to it, then chose my words carefully, then chose to write every letter of my response, then chose to proof read it, then chose to think about it some more, then chose to post my reply. Now I've chosen to repeat the process. That's a shitload of choices. ALL ME BABY!

[@crepooscul]

@@nebulous6660 That's not you. You were compelled to do it based on how you felt. Just like I was compelled to write this comment in order to prove you wrong.

[@nebulous6660]

@@crepooscul you just said I did it lol

[@genevievecaldwell213]

I was predetermined to love Sam Harris and I would choose to love him if I had free will as well.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Life is all about karmic retribution.

[@thewiseman5948]

Could you love me too?

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Silly. We all have free will and God respects that gift and that is why He has permitted us to allow this planet to become demonic but no more, the Apocalypse is upon us................falundafa

[@jeffforsythe9514]

You have free will, we all do. Who else could make such a mess out of our own home, mankind, always choosing the wrong path because of greed.

[@brianpeterson1962]

Harris 100 religion 0

[@chiefcheeser]

"Just try staying in bed all day waiting for something to happen" Challenge accepted.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

The brain is like the cockpit of an airplane and the soul is the pilot...To expand our consciousness and spiritual wisdom, we all need a great teacher.....................falun dafa

[@RobertTamale343]

Sam , Thank you Sir. I love you . I'm melting in admiration. You are beautiful and beyond... I believe God is smiling. Thank you ❤

[@AnonYmous-wy9oq]

This is gold. It's priceless.

[@Hgulix62]

The gold have a price; so its gold or priceless ?? Chose one .. ʷᵃⁱᵗ

[@harrybellingham98]

'consciousness is the fact that something is happening'

[@victorialeif9266]

" We don't choose to choose what we choose". I think that is a great truth. In our relatively short lives, so much depends upon the influences that shape us. Another great truth: some people choose more than others.It seems to me that these truths ,when unrealized, cause a great deal of pain and suffering, especially later in life.

[@firebird9711]

There can be infinte regression on that one. "We don't choose to choose to choose to choose what we choose." So it becomes obvious it is meaningless, which it was in the first place.

[@lVideoWatcherl]

@Firebird Infinite Regression is a hallmark of a logical inconsistency. Meaning by introducing it in this instance, Harris is critiquing free will, like he would with the idea of a creator god - after all, who created that creator god? So no, it is not meaningless. In fact, it does exactly what it is meant to, and what you yourself understood; it unveils that free will is an illogical concept.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

We all have free will and God respects that gift and that is why He has permitted us to allow this planet to become demonic but no more, the Apocalypse is upon us................falundafa

[@oscarmudd6579]

I have arterial sclerosis and blood doesn't circulate very well in my legs. I still have to walk everywhere I go. I pace myself. I walk until my legs hurt too much to tolerate and become stiff. I choose to stop. If I try to keep going (I have) then there comes a point when my legs simply won't move. I stop. I don't choose to, I have to.

[@myideas8548]

Sam is such a great thinker and speaker..

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Life is all about karmic retribution.

[@michaelbrown7561]

For Buddhists, this isn't a hard one to accept for there is no "you" in the first place. We're the universe taking a peek at Itself through many lives experiences. Enjoy the ride folks!

[@AkosM]

So why do Buddhist and Taoists cultivate separately from one another, or cultivate individually in the first place, if there is no such thing as you and I?

[@michaelbrown7561]

​@@AkosM Just saw this. There is a "you" and "I," just not in an ultimate sense. They're created realities formed in perception. In other words, separation (and categorizing into independent things) is a product of the mind, not reality in its basic form which is nondual and interdependent. "You" and "I" have the same substantiality as the lap or a wave. You can sit on a lap or surf on a wave, so they have a reality-just not an absolute or independent one. When the person stands the lap is gone just as after the wave crests it's gone too. So, they're not "things". They're forms the body or ocean takes at different moments in time. Same with "you" and "I". When thought is absent the "you" and "I" disappears.

[@corradojohnsopranojr.9426]

Extremely eye-opening. This might be the most important video I have ever seen in my life, one that forces me to completely re-evaluate life morally and philosophically. It indeed makes me wonder why it has never come to me how free will cannot exist. In our society where people take pride, feel ashamed, put blame on, feel guilt - without realising the intellectual meaninglessness of these emotions as concepts, it is crucial to understand the absurdity of free will. Therefore it should be our goal to get as much people as possible to listen to what neuroscientists like Sam Harris have to say.

[@kurry6060]

Thats too bad b/c it was a pretty silly video bro

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Now to open both eyes. We all have free will and God respects that gift and that is why He has permitted us to allow this planet to become demonic but no more, the Apocalypse is upon us................falundafa

[@jeffforsythe9514]

The only reason that this planet is in such a mess is because we have free will. Free to choose polluting the earth, air, and water, free to be liars, free to be hateful and greedy. God did not create a bunch of mindless beings, robots, and we became warped but all is not lost......................falundafa

[@jeffforsythe9514]

You remain aware and eventually you become quite capable of choosing what thoughts to ignore and which ones to take to heart, free will. ​ We all have Divine souls and flesh bodies. Our souls are immortal and reincarnate. Life is so much more complex than our parents just having sex, believe me, God Blessed me and His wonderful new practice Falun Dafa explains creation, trust me please and take a look.

[@venkataponnaganti]

Simple and profound refering to our experiences.A good thinker.

[@venkataponnaganti]

🎉

[@goulchat1]

When it comes to this depth of analysis of our complex lives, any final conclusion is an act of the free will. I choose to believe that Sam is right

[@jeffforsythe9514]

We all have free will and God respects that gift and that is why He has permitted us to allow this planet to become demonic but no more, the Apocalypse is upon us................falundafa

[@Mastikator]

An easier way to say all of this is that you are free to choose, but you're not free to choose what you choose, which is to say you aren't really free to choose in any way that is meaningfully different than how a lightning bolt chooses where it strikes. A lighting bolt strikes on the path of least resistance. It's important to recognize this because of the moral implications, you don't seek revenge on a lightning bolt, in light of this we should remove "revenge" from the concept of justice. With this enlightenment we realize that truly nobody deserves to be punished and the only moral thing is to protect society from dangerous individuals and rehabilitate these individuals, and if they can't be rehabilitated (yet) then just keep them locked up indefinitely, instead of releasing dangerous people because "they've served their time".

[@kurry6060]

People often choose the paths of most resistance. Go frog man go.

[@Exedorable]

Can you make choices? Yes. But can you make free choices? No. Do you experience a will? Yes. But it should be obvious that your will cannot be free.

[@dubunking2473]

Alex Spevak Not a shred of evidence, my friend. Baseless assertions. Utter nonsense.

[@Exedorable]

dubunking simply overwhelming evidence.

[@dubunking2473]

Alex Spevak There is not a shrewd of evidence. Quote some scientific for once please? Lol.

[@Exedorable]

dubunking repeating. One track record lol

[@dubunking2473]

Alex Spevak There is not a shred of scientific evidence to prove that Free will is an illusion. If there is, quote it.

[@malexder0082]

It was predetermined that I watch this video and leave this comment.

[@xelaldaero9339]

I wish I had a teacher like Sam in this uni years 😢

[@BradGatton]

Saying this because I haven't seen anybody else bring it up in the comment section. Even if everything Sam has said is wrong, let's not forget that freewill is still a claim, and one that has not met it's burden of proof. Attacking Sam's points against freewill doesn't get us any closer to validating freewill.

[@subjecttodeath]

Great point. Leaving a comment so that it gets bumped up, hopefully :)

[@zeinbergess3605]

BradGatton Exactly.

[@stardust4001]

Yep

[@kreiziekeiks6374]

Everytime you decide anything you're showing that YOU don't think what your saying is true.

[@kreiziekeiks6374]

God You aren't aware of Sam's book(let) on free will? I am; I read it several times. Somewhere there's a short video of him that came out when he released his book I wish I could find, explaining what he means, though you can just read it in his book. Plain and simple: You're wrong. Sam Harris has explicitly said and written on MANY occasions that you're not really making any decisions and that self itself is just an illusion. It's as though you'd like to deny the production of electric current in generators because you can prove that generators have no electric current in them. But, you can't even come close to acting as though you really believe this; so what is it that you're wanting to accomplish by promoting this twaddle? The only reason I've ever seen speculated was that free will is the foundation of the concept of human rights. Once you've dispensed with free will, you've dispensed with the idea of violating free will. Could you tell me what other possible utility there could be for getting rid of the idea of free will?

[@jwg5529]

Dammit! I was waiting an hour for him to talk about an orca being freed from captivity by a teenage boy.

[@jeremiahkirkman100]

lmfao

[@Travelbjjbtc]

brilliant

[@cgcarrigg]

Nice.

[@megenoka3309]

Jw Goedhart lol

[@9Ballr]

Sorry, it turns out that was also an illusion.

[@MYRRHfamily]

Adopting this idea that free will doesn’t exist is an idea that can radically change a persons life. If you truly come to believe it your whole outlook changes. It takes a while to convince yourself it’s true, and then a lot longer to fully build that perspective into your life and judgements. Pretty cool.

[@ActuallyJozu]

I thought of Milwaukee, even though I've never been there or anywhere close. I don't even know a single fact about Milwaukee. It just entered my mind without any choice of my own.

[@sngscratcher]

As a capitalist, I plan to begin charging for my will. No more freebies. ;)

[@s4ckm4n]

If you make a good price, the determinists won't have a choice!

[@alainmaitre2069]

No capitalism , no communism , no theism no atheism etcetera , no separatism . Separatism is wrong it breeds violence . Favouritism leads to conflicts . KZbin Jiddu Krishnamurti talks at the united nations . Theism and atheism and christianity and islam and gnostic and agnostic are not the truth . The truth is the unity in impartiality principle . Yes unselfishness . Yes mindfulness training . Meditation . Copy that . Magnificent obsession . Maturity .

[@Andyserra2004]

@@s4ckm4n p

[@appsenence9244]

Xd

[@steelcash]

It’s so interesting. Mind blowing in fact. I have no idea what I’m going to do, from one minute to the next, and I have no say in it either. I just hope that I don’t ramble on with my phone keyboard about how I am unable to dictate anything in my life. I’m hoping I don’t do that.

[@sallydr]

From what I have learned in therapy, we really do not have that much free will. It is referred to as the unconscious, subconscious or conscious and it is even much deeper than that. My parents were alcoholics. When I started to date I inevitably chose every alcoholic or drug addict around and didn't find until later. This included Narcissists like my mother and sister. Once I stopped with the alcoholics I was attracting Narcissist. That was never in my mind, of course, when I met them.

[@KLmoxie]

correct, it's subconscious programming. Sam is far advanced in how the brain works

[@SunofYork]

They bore you though

[@jeffforsythe9514]

You remain aware and eventually you become quite capable of choosing what thoughts to ignore and which ones to take to heart, free will. ​ We all have Divine souls and flesh bodies. Our souls are immortal and reincarnate. Life is so much more complex than our parents just having sex, believe me, God Blessed me and His wonderful new practice Falun Dafa explains creation, trust me please and take a look.

[@kenhoover1639]

My mind is blown! Excellent presentation

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Life is all about karmic retribution.

[@cetotan]

anyone who works in the advertising business knows there is no such thing as free will.

[@Gunth0r]

except their own, right?

[@kreiziekeiks6374]

@Keylanos Lokj Not my conversation really, but for starters, why don't you read everything you've written in this thread so far? Can you see how it reeks of "holier than thou" loftiness? What exactly makes you think anyone should for even an instant grant you the authority to assume such a tone with them? You are addressing people who by your own estimation are essentially worshiping their own intellect. Yet your prose is a near meaningless word salad of religiously seasoned gibberish. What do you think you're accomplishing with this tactic? I used to have a hobby of metaphorically stomping out people like you; because I grew up with people that would turn away from you, embarrassed that you call yourself Christian, as they do, yet make a complete mockery of their quiet faith (still fake, but at least they try) with your self aggrandizing wordiness designed to call attention to yourself and place yourself in a position of unearned glory. So, let's get down to it; shall we? What's your bedrock? Where does all this "truth" come from? The bible? It's innerant? Come now; don't keep us in suspense. We all want to know what THE great Christian with all his many many words of wisdom has to say. Keep it simple though. I'll just skim through the word salad to find the response, if any, that you make to my query.

[@southpaws6814]

Wish id seen this one sooner ... Thanks Sam!

[@theriveroffaith852]

To give into the natural man, is to be a robot controlled by emotions. But to do the right thing when tempted to do wrong, is free will. God created everyone with the ability to choose the right thing, regardless of the situation.

[@theriveroffaith852]

@@hunter_w I used to think our actions were emotional responses only to our lot. However, by becoming born again, God gives us a new heart and we know our sins are made clean and we can learn to discern the right path from the wrong one. Satan waits at the door and deceives those who do not harken to the voice of the Lord. But all who listen to the word of God and find Jesus and believe in Him, shall have everlasting life.

[@willvztube]

This is a very compelling and useful talk. The only concerning part for me is the brief discussion in eradicating evil toward the end. When asked the question, the only answer that does not cause individual and social capatstroohe is “No. Not a good idea. We need exposure to evil and ‘bad stuff’ to pursue the virtuous and ‘good’. “ Then the conversation on judgement….blah.

[@trollbbqer1267]

I could never reconcile that if we had free will, how could things be predestined??? Glad others saw this glitch in religions also!👍

[@jeffforsythe9514]

You remain aware and eventually you become quite capable of choosing what thoughts to ignore and which ones to take to heart, free will. ​ We all have Divine souls and flesh bodies. Our souls are immortal and reincarnate. Life is so much more complex than our parents just having sex, believe me, God Blessed me and His wonderful new practice Falun Dafa explains creation, trust me please and take a look.

[@trollbbqer1267]

@@jeffforsythe9514 😂😂😂

[@trollbbqer1267]

@@jeffforsythe9514 Stop trolling!🙄

[@mosttoothless]

I agree that one's will or desire to act arises not in consciousness, but rather in underlying complex subconscious mechanisms that lead up to the conscious experience of motive and to the consequent action. But even if the agency is subconscious, the pathway to action arises in that individual person, who should (in my view, and for societal expediency) remain responsible for the act.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

You remain aware and eventually you become quite capable of choosing what thoughts to ignore and which ones to take to heart, free will. ​ We all have Divine souls and flesh bodies. Our souls are immortal and reincarnate. Life is so much more complex than our parents just having sex, believe me, God Blessed me and His wonderful new practice Falun Dafa explains creation, trust me please and take a look.

[@Superlongevityinstitute]

Wonderful lecture

[@matteo.ceriotti]

I feel justified watching this majestic talk yet again because it's not my choice to do so.

[@divxxx]

I realised there was no free will at the age of 15. Basically my thought was: if I have to choose among a set of possibilities, I will be forced to choose the best action that my brain is able to consider as best. My brain might be mistaken and that choice might not be the best, however I feel like it is. If I could decide to choose the worst or a less good choice, that's simply nonsense. Unless my brain has a reason to choose another thing, in which case, that would be, in a sense, the best choice. Ok, I resume. If I have a reason to choose something, that reason forced me to choose it. If I choose something for no reason, that's random, or maybe the reason is unconscious.

[@Hgulix62]

"I realized there was no free will .." - Why do you mean by "I" If you're not your thoughts neither your brain, what are you ?

[@bornfree8073]

That is an idiotic statement. I have two choices. As a law student, i could study for an exam in a couple days or i could go drinking. The best choice would be studying, yet i chose to go drinking. Free will. Same people eat out of stress yet the better option would be exercising. Why not exercise? The most glaring issue is as a volunteer firefighter why would i chose to go into a burning house, even though it puts my life in danger? I am risking my life for someone i will never know for no gain.

[@oh-k-den2640]

@@bornfree8073 you are a slave to the consequences of both actions. One you seem beneficial, one superficial. So you have a choice between actions, but you cannot decide the consequences of those actions. So your "free will" is limited by predetermined consequences.

[@Jamie-Russell-CME]

@@oh-k-den2640 So? Freewill is real and it is self evident. Pick your favorite free will denier, go watch how they live. They operate like they have it.

[@Morty90152]

@@oh-k-den2640 dude, people who believe free will obviously know that the brain is affected by other people, genetics, etc. For some reason people who denie the existence of free will often confuse free will with omnipotence, even though the fact that our mind changes and gets affected by outer forces is a strong evidence for the existence of some "will" inside us

[@andrewsmith3257]

This is freaking amazing

[@marianomanto]

Glad I choose to come back to this video so frequently.

[@divyanshkashyap3938]

Except you don't

[@nathanwaibel454]

The illusion of choice is just as good as free will from our perspective. The debate is kind of moot..

[@waltermcmain3461]

Every time I see Ben Stiller I start getting really heady and I get the feeling it's because Sam Harris stole my Free Will.

[@bluegtturbo]

It's not Sam's looks that remind you of Stiller, it is his voice...

[@stephenhogg6154]

Sam wants to argue that because we have no choice in our past we lack choice over our future. Saying we didn't pick our brains is similar to saying we don't pick the hand we are dealt. But how we play our hand is how we express our free will. If we say, 'This is a bad hand! Others are bound to have a better hand than me so there's no way I can win', then the consequences really are inevitable - what's the point in even trying? Free will is something that we have if we choose to. Telling people they don't have that choice is destructive to them - if they believe it.

[@michaelnickles1986]

stephen hogg Playing the hand you are dealt is just making choices predicated on thoughts and wants that were not brought into existence entirely by you, so no that is not free will.

[@stephenhogg6154]

@@michaelnickles1986 No doubt from some point of view, we are no more free than rocks. The standard argument against ‘freewill’ is ultimately irrefutable, because it can appeal to an infinite regress of causes. But how is this perspective useful? Does this perspective really have any epistemic authority over other perspectives - those that allow for degrees of freedom? What does it help us to explain, to understand better?

[@stephenhogg6154]

@@michaelnickles1986 Do you even know what you are referring to when you use the term 'free will'?

[@shannoncoleman3041]

I realized that free will does not exist through Advaita Vedanta and contemplating who I am and when I scanned inwardly to try and find "myself". I found I don't exist as a "person" and that what I think of myself as a person is only a thought. The experience of my "true" self is one of pure consciousness which I call "God" and the only will being lived and expressed is consciousness or "God's" will. This, when my person is surrendered to it, gives me peace and trust in my life to unfold on it's own. I have found the lack of free will is replaced by trust and definitely results in an expanded sense of understanding and compassion for others. Forgive them for they know not what they do gives a whole new meaning.

[@muhammedhizaboliyathvazhay8450]

Amazing talk.

[@adamburke3476]

Hey guys before you start a argument about "free will" please define what you mean by it. It is a very confusing and ambiguous concept that needs more clarity.

[@SaetherOfficial]

I think the simplest definition is the freedom to do want you want or will

[@CirclesOfMotion]

​@@SaetherOfficialThen bacteria or even viruses have free will. They want something on their level of existense (consume shugar for example) and have freedom to do it. Even rocks and stones trends to a physical and chemical balance. Do they have free will too?

[@SaetherOfficial]

@@CirclesOfMotion demonstrate that bacteria have that freedom. That they are not bound to do what their instincts tell them.. To be fair.. I don't believe in free will, so..

[@michaelbogucki7647]

Just look up libertarian free will dude. You have google and obviously youtube at your disposal.

[@UNOwen-uw8ow]

Free will as sam states is that you made a decision, now is it possible to have made some other decision in that same situation(same world, atom for atom) .

[@Xpistos510]

We make choices, and we clearly have an individual identity which establishes agency, but it doesn’t necessarily follow that we have free will, only that we have a will.

[@shanestrickland5006]

Yep.

[@daviddeida]

Nope.Choices are made by genetics and epii genetics that you did not choose.You have no will just the appearance you have,

[@willseest3732]

Kind of but let's be honest, what shows up around you is what you only know. Outside of that, there is no free will, also people are born with certain genetics. People honestly don't choose what they think. I mean effort is real but the origin was never free will rather random thoughts.

[@nikaq2249]

What kind of will maybe not your own will if we don't choose how we act and that's a process of random choices that doesn't make you the person that choose for those actions i mean i accept the fact that we have to behave the right way but you can't know for sure that we always have the same control over what we do and i don't mean that for crimes

[@jeffforsythe9514]

God gave us free will, life is about discernment. To expand our consciousness and spiritual wisdom, we all need a great teacher.....................falun dafa

[@lukaradojevic7195]

"No amount of anxiety makes any difference to anything that is going to happen" Alan Watts

[@smalin]

I disagree. A high degree of anxiety might cause an ulcer to happen.

[@lafleurplumeria]

Emotions; good, bad, or ugly, emanate and are fueled by thinking. You are the entity that allows thought to capture your attention.

[@hylertull]

I don’t think you can argue for both objective morality and hard determinism

[@hylertull]

boson96 I agree that morality is subjective. I’m also more compatibilist than hard determinist. With that being said, I would think that HD would either require subjective morality or no morality

[@epicbehavior]

Just because it’s subjective doesn’t make it invalid.

[@boncouragedelionnaise6628]

... ... circumstance and nature of choice as question of phenomenology ... all descriptions and interpretations of specific choices comprise 'objectivity' ... 'subjectivity' not being good descriptor of choice instances

[@boncouragedelionnaise6628]

... ... ultimately hard determinism governs better if not at the least those benign conscious choices, in upholding equitability-sustainability deliverables ... on both UTILITY (worthwhile benefit) and DEONTOLOGY (impersonal duty) rationales ... empiric-parametric determinants of wellbeing are objectively straightforward to benchmark

[@EduDaoUniversity]

lmfao i swear to god i was thinking Cairo! AMAZING video!!!

[@cmvamerica9011]

The world is a mirror that reflects what is in you.

[@e.o9470]

the question of free will itself shows how determined we’re

[@e.o9470]

Sit back and witness your free will.

[@SubstanceP888]

Can totally hear Michael Shermer’s distinct laugh all throughout the funny bits of this talk! Lol. Love it!

[@thebarbellpath1040]

so immediately after this video i went to my kindle to buy his book free will. Took my credit card and stuff and then stopped for a second thinking do "i" want this book or do i want this book

[@billdavis9286]

In the end you bought the book, told your self that you did indeed want it, as you think it is interesting, and intellectual, and you're actually getting into this achedemic stuff. Probably read two thirds and haven't been back to finish it.... nothing wrong with that, but how close am I?

[@thebarbellpath1040]

@@billdavis9286 ahahahha. In most cases you would be right. But this book I finished. Actually did a presentation in a pscychology of mine

[@billdavis9286]

@@thebarbellpath1040 nice! Good on ya!

[@user-ql3xx8qo5q]

24:08 is the centrepiece of the argument and perhaps the space of our free will. We can just be a witness of our thoughts nothing else!!! that's what spiritual talks are all about...

[@marcusberkeley3258]

Here after watching Tenet. The illusoriness of free will is crucial to the plot.

[@Alexisme2012]

IF the self is an illusion, then the question of whether Free Will exists or not is irrelevant, simply because, at bottom, we don't care.

[@nihilityjoey]

David Email There is no difference in essence to being a great cook and cooking great food. Your explanation for this is also flawed.

[@TheRishabhGoswami]

he meant to say, that being a great cook is a form of creating an identity out of your ability, this is to say, if let's say he has an accident and he injurs a part of the brain needed for great cooking, will he still be called a great cook? because he has won various awards in cooking...is his identity which was a mental construct still relevant?

[@nihilityjoey]

Rishabh Goswami Is that what he ment to say? Then why didn't he say that?

[@yartyarty6321]

People seem to not see The use of this knowledge. As knowledge is for use, this is usefull in the context of perspective, it gives you no choice (pun intended) than to be less judgemental towards others since it is just cause and effect down to a extreme complexity. Which of course in many cases can be altered aswell, this information is more helpfull than not.

[@melby1839]

David Email I have no quarrel with what you’ve stated, albeit semantically speaking you will always be a student to life or the experience of being ”you”.

[@ysph]

this all occurred to me when it occurred to me that it isn't my choice whether i believe in god or not. how could someone choose what they believe?

[@Palestine4Ever169]

You ppl are joking right ? If not You all need medical help ASAP

[@ysph]

no? what should i believe?

[@ysph]

am i going to get sick? please tell me

[@AkaliciousZA]

I have just started watching this video and I believe in free will, I will wait until the end to see if my mind is changed

[@nybakg]

And how did that go?

[@smalin]

@@nybakg I think the absence of an answer is your answer.

[@superbahmindcontrollers179]

sam is a great speaker. I've learned allot, I hope free speech continues for a long time

[@jeffforsythe9514]

To expand our consciousness and spiritual wisdom, we all need a great teacher.....................falun dafa

[@counterculture10]

I saw what you did there.

[@dblackjr52]

Crazy I swear to god I thought of Cairo and it freaked me out

[@gregwillett7167]

This is essentially a Harry Frankfurt compatibilist argument about behavior happening only because you couldn't have done otherwise. And this is quite important because it posits a real empathy and human understanding of why human beings are doing the behavior they're doing. Sam, I think, knows this argument, and is elucidating it. We're talking about a project of humanity, helping others causally. In order to help and heal others, we've to adopt a more pragmatic worldview about how we've evolved. It's not egotistical, and it's not religious. It's based on what we've evolved with. It has nothing to do with biblical reason. It has everything to do with how we evaluate our habits and supervene on them. But hear me out, even if we don't have free will in the way we think we do, we are responsible for it!

[@jeffforsythe9514]

People have lost their moral compass. We all have free will and God respects that gift and that is why He has permitted us to allow this planet to become demonic but no more, the Apocalypse is upon us................falundafa

[@marthawainscott9795]

Since I started learning from Sam Harris I feel my IQ points have risen!

[@williambanneraddis2526]

I do know why i picked, the city i picked, it was because I want to visit there someday

[@bricebarber9359]

Coming to this conversation for the first time has been very interesting as its made me think about how this concept gels with our morality. It's nice and refreshing that from a deterministic view, objective good morality seems to be the natural form of our brain if you believe that our free will isn't the guiding force of our own laws. This means that science is not only giving us the truth to our existence but the mere purpose of it as well.

[@earthangel2429]

What do you. Ean by giving us purpose as well? Do you that in having "no free will" then the average brain leans toward the purpose of "being good" and "becoming more advanced beings" ?

[@jeffforsythe9514]

To return home to Heaven one needs truthfulness-compassion-tolerance and to suffer.........................falundafa

[@jeffforsythe9514]

The truth is being good is its own reward. That was the basic message of both Jesus, Buddha and The Lord..............................falundafa

[@jeffforsythe9514]

We are here to seek the Divine and to become spiritually enlightened. Falun Dafa shows the Way.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

You remain aware and eventually you become quite capable of choosing what thoughts to ignore and which ones to take to heart, free will. ​ We all have Divine souls and flesh bodies. Our souls are immortal and reincarnate. Life is so much more complex than our parents just having sex, believe me, God Blessed me and His wonderful new practice Falun Dafa explains creation, trust me please and take a look.

[@imthebossthere]

note to self: don't read any more comments - ever.

[@catkeys6911]

I commiserate with you completely, but I suspect you will, though. As stupid or mean-spirited as many of them may be, there usually are one or 2, at least, that may be worth reading.

[@kreiziekeiks6374]

Comment of the year.

[@millenniallychallenged5641]

Relatable

[@user-lo9cw6pq7j]

Lol! Right on!

[@anshuuu9708]

@@kreiziekeiks6374 still

[@klumaverik]

I've listened to this talk atleast 4 times. I find no disagreements.

[@RIOTMAKERS]

Well. You can't. Thats Sams point. Which he has to have

[@alainlangdon]

You have not used your critic conscious mind enough.

[@divyanshkashyap3938]

​@@alainlangdonHe had no choice

[@alainlangdon]

@@divyanshkashyap3938 Oh yes, he has the choice. You just don't understand what free will is. I'm writing a book on free will. In that book I will explain what free will is. I will also explain what is consciousness, what is God, what we are, where we come from, where we go and what is the purpose of life. Then I explain what is time and what is inertia, how God came to be and how this world came to be. Then I present a new theory of relativity and a new theory of gravitation. These new theories allows me to explain what black matter is and the behavior of stars in galaxies. It also explain some of the new images we get with the JWST telescope. It may also provides clues to the expansion of the universe and dark energy. It solves all the paradox of relativity like the twin paradox and others. I also explain how we could go faster then light and how we could make antigravity. And I found all of this by reflecting on what is free will. Strangely, it's all connected. And it's very simple. It has nothing to do we believes. It's all based on rational thinking but it has many implications on spirituality and how we live. I hope it will help people clean up their religion. I hope it will give a new fundation on which to base our behaviors and that it will help bring more peace to the world and allow humanity to enter a golden age. It's possible. We just have to believe in free will and follow the rational. Then we will have to do a lot of introspection, set our values to a very high level and adopt new behaviors that will seems unconfortable at first but that will prove to be more effecient and bring more peace and harmonie with time. But this can only be done if we have the right premise. There are many paths, some quick and some slow. I doudt we will take the fast ones but with a better understanding and a lot of efforts, we can get there. It's all connected to the idea that we have free will. I hope to publish the book somewhere around the end of the summer. I will also do some youtube videos. I hope my ideas will survive the critics. We will see.

[@anthonykenny1320]

Oh Sam you articulate my thoughts better then I can

[@jacobflaschen]

I love how it takes him an hour to drink half of that tiny bottle of water...

[@flumpyhumpy]

His choice. :-p

[@The22on]

So, that's what you got out of this lecture?

[@jeremiahkirkman100]

@@The22on lmfao

[@richardhedd3080]

That’s what you took away from this?

[@Johnconno]

It's made out of icebergs. Dead baby seals. The hands of 3rd world children.

[@cam553]

People with mental illnesses, neurological disorders, and others become consciously and subjectively aware of exactly what Sam is describing. The obsessive and negative thought patterns that appear to arise from nowhere, do just that, and constantly.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

The brain is like the cockpit of an airplane and the soul is the pilot...To expand our consciousness and spiritual wisdom, we all need a great teacher.....................falun dafa

[@lVideoWatcherl]

@jeff forsythe No such thing as a soul, not an ounce of proof for it.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

We all have free will and God respects that gift and that is why He has permitted us to allow this planet to become demonic but no more, the Apocalypse is upon us................falundafa

[@jeffforsythe9514]

You remain aware and eventually you become quite capable of choosing what thoughts to ignore and which ones to take to heart, free will. ​ We all have Divine souls and flesh bodies. Our souls are immortal and reincarnate. Life is so much more complex than our parents just having sex, believe me, God Blessed me and His wonderful new practice Falun Dafa explains creation, trust me please and take a look.

[@4775HpPjcooldude]

No choice but to like and comment

[@gissingsen]

From all the choices that come to my mind in the form of 'suggestions' I select only one action and not the others. And from a observers perspective it looks there is only one reason for my action. But there a dozens of other reasons too, to not doing "everything else" I could have done. I always have to make a selection of only one action from all the other possibilites, and though those mental suggestions and others too (my room looks untidy, my child is ill, i have to go to work now) are working at a subconsious, I will have to pick one at a time, and prioritze: those can wait, this one ..or this one I can do now.