Ep 7: Compatibilism - To-do list: Cake, Ketamine, Gym, Podcast

The problem of free will has long haunted philosophers who also want to believe that the laws of physics govern everything in the universe. According to determinism, once set in motion the universe is essentially a giant “clockwork” where all future events can be predicted. But if that’s true, then why do we feel like we can change the course of future events through our decisions? A relatively recent movement in philosophy called “compatibilism” tries to reconcile the concepts of free will and determinism. But is it just an artful dodge? In this episode we take a close look at the main arguments for compatibilism, and philosophers behind those arguments, including David Hume, Daniel Dennett, Peter Strawson and Harry Franfurt. Mark tries to get off the hook for making bad food choices (Paco ordered those doughnuts!) while Chad notes that nachos are “compatible” with both the concept of “entree” and the concept of “appetizer.” We also dig into some listener questions about the existential state of running shoes, which doesn’t really have anything to do with free will at all.

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