logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2024
53m 52s

Debate: Free Will is an Illusion

Intelligence Squared
About this episode

We’re all making life choices at this time of year – perhaps a few new years' resolutions are in the mix – either way, you’ll have a stake in a tussle of big ideas as we debate the motion: Free Will is an Illusion. Our host for this episode is the writer, philosopher and podcaster Nigel Warburton, who is co-host of the popular Philosophy Bites podcast and author of books including A Little History of Philosophy, The Art Question, and Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction. Joining Warburton to debate the motion is psychologist, author and lecturer Susan Blackmore, who is Visiting Professor at the University of Plymouth, and Kevin Mitchell, Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin.

If you'd like to get access to all of our longer form interviews and members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.

For £4.99 per month you'll also receive:

- Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts

- Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series

- 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events

- Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox

...

Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99:

- Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts

- Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series

...

Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more

...

Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more.

https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
What Can Criminal Psychology Teach Us About Climate Change? With Julia Shaw
Can criminal psychology offer us a new way to think about and combat climate change? In this episode, criminal psychologist Julia Shaw sits down with physicist and broadcaster Helen Czerski to offer a compelling new framework to understand environmental crime. While big structura ... Show More
43m 57s
Sep 25
Hotels with History | Raffles Hotel, Singapore, with Richard E. Grant and Jules Perowne
This is an episode of Hotels with History, produced by Intelligence Squared on behalf of ⁠Perowne International⁠⁠. On todays episode, Richard journeys to Singapore to explore the legendary Raffles Hotel. Discover how four visionary Armenian brothers turned a 10-room beach bungalo ... Show More
26m 5s
Sep 21
Who are the Trailblazing Women Hidden From Our History? With Women's Prize Founder Kate Mosse
Did you know that Mary Shelley was a teenager when she started writing Frankenstein in 1814? Or that England’s most prolific goal scorer - man or woman - was superstar striker Lily Parr, who scored a staggering 997 goals between 1919 and 1951? When Kate Mosse launched the #WomenI ... Show More
53m 47s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2023
The Intelligence: Antisemitism and freedom of speech
Since the Hamas attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza, debate at America’s top academic institutions has turned sour. Now, the issue has reignited an age-old argument about freedom of speech on campuses. Today Britain’s parliament will vote on whether to send asylum seekers to Rwan ... Show More
24m 44s
Nov 2023
The case against free will
Sean Illing speaks with Robert Sapolsky, a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University and the author of a new book called Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will. They discuss the concept of free will, whether it actually exists in the way we think it does, ... Show More
58m 41s
Dec 2023
The Intelligence: Antisemitism and freedom of speech
Since the Hamas attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza, debate at America’s top academic institutions has turned sour. Now, the issue has reignited an age-old argument about freedom of speech on campuses. Today Britain’s parliament will vote on whether to send asylum seekers to Rwan ... Show More
24m 44s
Aug 2022
Free Speech And The Effects Of Cancel Culture
Solveig Gold, a senior research assistant at Princeton's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions and PhD candidate in classics at the University of Cambridge, joins Dr. Phil to discuss free speech and the effects of cancel culture. Gold and Dr. Phil discuss her ... Show More
52m 24s
Feb 2024
The Intelligence: I’m your private lander, a lander for money
If it succeeds—and that is no sure thing—this week’s soft landing of Odysseus will be the first by a private firm. We examine the prospects and the business models of the Moon rush. Our producer visits Ukraine to mark the anniversary of a revolution that helped to shape today’s c ... Show More
27m 25s
Oct 2023
Money Talks: Goldin rules
It’s that time of year when an economist is woken by an early call from the Nobel Committee in Sweden. This year, it was the turn of Claudia Goldin, whose work has revolutionised our understanding of gender in the labour market. And on this week’s podcast, we speak to her.Hosts: ... Show More
44m 59s
Feb 2024
🔒 Exploring English Vocabulary: Remote Working with Lindsay
Subscriber-only episodeE186: 🎙️  Welcome to another Bonus Episode, Plus Members! Thank you for tuning in once again. Today, we're delving into the nitty-gritty of some vocabulary discussed in my recent chat with Lindsay in Episode 185: Native English Conversation: Remote Working ... Show More
10 m
Feb 2024
61. James Rubin: Working for Biden, American intervention, and the fight against Russian disinformation
“You took me to one side and said be very, very careful of these people, these neo-cons. Because they’re going to use this to do all sorts of stuff that you shouldn’t be involved in.” What are the limits of foreign intervention? Do the American people still want their country to ... Show More
1h 8m