Do We Have Free Will?

If consciousness is a relationship of subject and object…

Join Jason Silva every week as he freestyles his way into the complex systems of society, technology and human existence and discusses the truth and beauty of science in a form of existential jazz. New episodes every Tuesday.

[ikhlass]

am I the only one who watches the video for the first time and can't focus on the content and just his energy, how he moves, how he expresses himself with passion and of course have to repeat it several times cuz can't get enough of it .

[kyme]

omggg...i've just started to cry...atlast somebody who can tell the words for what i feel...atlast somebody who can understand what the hell i think...omg

[Barncore]

That 3 minutes went so fast. This channel is SO CAPTIVATING!!!

[GuilhermeCarrico]

"I designed, therefore I became"

Amazing phraze, thank you!!!

[LarryPanozzo]

I guess I kinda like that you didn't end with a conclusion. It can seem depressing when you first realize we don't technically have free will, but we can transcend that if we reprogram ourselves and make our choices with purpose.

[JesusGreenBL]

Very well said. Most of our thoughts are not our not decided by us, but actually just reactionary to our environment, that intense urge for a burger you had earlier was likely caused by the burger king leaflet you noticed in the corner of your eye that dropped through the letterbox earlier. That desire for a certain line of work or lifestyle was built by the images you'd previously seen of it, the person you want to be is an amalgamation of the people you idolise, etc.

However, thankfully we still have the opportunity to decide what we do with those thoughts, with those desires, those dreams. Ultimately no decision is entirely our own, since even the decision to do the opposite of ones desires is motivated by the fact you've learned that you can do so, but that said.. It's still a degree more freedom than we normally take. We might have a desire to keep smoking, it's hard wired into our system now, but we can make the hard choice to quit, and receive the benefits, or perhaps we have an unhealthy longing to get back with a partner that was abusive, and we find the strength to avoid such a mistake. Our freedom is usually very limited because we pretend it isn't, by accepting that our own thoughts are under so much constant influence by our environment, we can start to learn to see which parts of our life we still do have the ultimate decision on, and start taking things into our hands in a bigger way.

Meditate, quiet the mind, learn to be intuitive, and to question your own thoughts and desires. Eat, sleep, work, and play healthily, and take the time to get to know yourself fully. :)

[mushfiquem]

"the designs that we create designs us in return! the hand is drawing the hand that's drawing your original hand." that was heavy and deep. i got goosebumps just thinking it.

[bluesquare]

I love how everyone in this comment section is an expert on free will and determinism.

[stoneybologna]

I'm somewhere between determinism and compatibilism, myself. We have choice to a degree, but not to a degree that really changes our situation in any fundamental way. We are beholden to our instincts and the laws of physics.

[KentTheExplorer]

We are not separate minds, we are the experience itself with all of it's countless elements that we are co-creating in it's entirety.

[TPaternite]

As I watch this in a room where all the walls are bare, this video gets me excited about interior design. Makes me wonder how much of an effect my inner surroundings have on my perspective.

[KentTheExplorer]

We are designing ourselves and our reality that we experience through curation simultaneously. "I design therefore I become." Selection is key, what information, people, experiences and locations are you choosing to tune your consciousness into? "What you Behold you Become."

[betowillow]

You know how to bring the heaven to earth Jason. Genius of the expresion. MAESTRO!

[OmniPlenum]

Compatibilism is the belief that free will and determinism are compatible ideas, and that it is possible to believe both without being logically inconsistent.

[robertgower]

Freedom based on a gradient of influential and subjective perceptions. Way leads to way. Fascinating subject! Absolutely love the content of these videos! Great job Jason...

[Vyngraven]

Very good quality, visually and mentally.

[joseangel]

I think this is your best video so far.
Thank you!

[GarryQuinn]

The people who thumbed down just had trouble understanding the video. It's the only explanation I can think of.

[Frshboi]

I never could put it into words but I always amazed how humans create different worlds in one world.
I'm always saying I wish I could live in multiply worlds.
Like a Basketball player wont live in the same world as a musician and so on so forth.
But now you put my thoughts into short words. Thank you. My thoughts wont be all over the place!

[Zajcooo]

I like how that pigeon just disappeared around one minute in.