Robert Sapolsky is easily one of the most clear-thinking and informed science communicators alive. What a fantastic asset to science, culture, and humanity.

I’ve gotten to the point where I need to hear Robert Sapolsky’s voice everyday. He is my antidepressant ❤️❤️❤️

I don’t understand why people who realize there is no free will get depressed or unmotivated to do anything. It was literally the opposite for me. This realization makes life worth living to me because I know there is no arbitrary standard I must compare myself to. I now have motivation to do whatever and I’m happy because I don’t constantly worry if I’m “failing at life”.

Sapolsky is one of my heros. Absolutely fantastic mind. The most honest and scientific phrase in my opinion is "we simply don`t know, yet".

As a forty plus year "depressive" Professor Sapolsky is an inspiration, thank you for the gift of this interview

Sapolsky is underrated as a comedic genius. He's got a quickdraw wit that shakes your mind awake, making sure you're listening to the actual content of his message, with humor.

Robert Sapolsky is a shining example of someone who has a LOT of knowledge in many fields and therefore realises what he still does not know

I feel so lucky that I found Robert Sapolsky. He’s so honest and brilliant! I always think about what he says and how important all his hard work will be so improve our thinking and the world.

In other words: "Believing in freewill is not free. Some of us believe in it, some of us don't. However even that is not free." Thanks man for this interview.

I know Dr. Sapolsky is an atheist. But I thank GOD for me being able to watch and listen to him!

Even without "freewill" we can still have a sense of identity. For one, we still are alive, we are unique and no one is ever going to share your exact experiences in life as you are. The way your brain works and makes decisions and feels is totally unique to you and the experiences the universe has put you through. We still make decisions and have choices even if those choices are ultimately a result of a measurable physical process. We can take the knowledge we have gained and better ourselves. The future may be deterministic in theory, but in practice it is totally impossible to know exactly what is going to happen in the future. So we live life to see what happens next. Just because a book has a pre-written ending doesn't mean reading the book is pointless.

I'm a fine artist in my mid 20's, and my career has taken off a lot more quickly than I expected. Rather than feeling particularly talented or sophisticated, or superior to my peers, Sapolsky has confirmed my suspicion that I'm not any more valuable than the starving artist, nor less valuable than the millionaire painter. To make peace with the absence of free well, in my head I base my own value on how kind and empathetic I am towards the people around me. A life of artistic compassion and mindful kindness significantly softens the blow of reality.

Tuning in to Professor Sapolsky in 2021. His teaching reached me 10 years after his behavioral science series and his lectures resonate with my long-held suspicions about how we operate. Leaving sincere appreciation here today. Thank you for speaking on those notions we've wrongly held.

I felt pretty depressed when I realized I was an atheist, but every time I meet another atheist or watch a video with atheist speakers I feel less depressed! And more like I'm part of a community 🙂 a really awesome community!

I love this guy, you see the combination of great empathy, great knowledge and great ability to communicate he has rather rarely. Worth listening to!

Awww... he’s depressed. 😥 please tell Dr Robert Sapolsky that he is a wonderful person and a wonderful teacher. I truly feel happiness when I see a new video with him on it. Please tell him that though life is pointless his has not been and will never be. Tell him he has touched and helped so many. Tell him he has helped me so much and I wish I could thank him.

The idea that completely determined, unfree machines like ourselves ever came up with the concept of free will in the first place is so absurd that the universe must have a sense of irony.

Robert Sapolsky makes so much sense, very thankful for having access to him sharing his thoughts and experience, really comforting.

Thank you Dr. Sapolsky for changing the circumstances for better for everyone who every time decides to watch any of your videos.

Sorry my English , I’m Norwegian🇳🇴🇳🇴 … It’s the best answer on depression I’ve heard in my whole life (I’m 44) (From my experience with depression in my teenages an as an adult … ) Better than the doctors and even most psychiatrist I’ve met . And your’re so right : BOTH psychotherapi and antidepressives . But unfortunately we don’t get both … We get the antidepressives & we use them unsupervised ….. Love to listen to this professors knowledge. I can continue to listen at Robert Sapolsky for hours :)👏👏👏👏

mr. Robert is such a great guy, he found time to explain Serbian psychotherapist some questions that i had. he taught me to be humble and find time to answer every one.

I’ve had ideas around the lack of free will for many years and it wasn’t until I read his book that I really got it. I have also suffered with depression (runs in the fam) and I have a theory that depression (and similar mental disorders) may in fact be the reason we accept lack of free will and understand it better than many others. We are so aware of the limitations and control our brain has over our lives that we are saturated with feeling out of control. Depression and anxiety can highlight these feelings.

I love how intellectually honest he is. I appreciate him more now.

This is the single most enlightening conversation I've ever heard. Great job Vert. And as always, thanks to creation for the genius of Dr. Saplosky!

i used to be an addict and aftwards often thought i was depressed, i probably was. I couldnt change it, and consistently my mood is at a lower average level than that of others. i have found that way of thinking to be erronious though.. ive dealt with it by accepting that my normal bar of happiness is at a different level to that of others. once i accepted that and altered my manner of doing things i felt better about myself. not because im less depressed but because i see myself in terms of my capacities now instead of through comparison to others...it hasnt mad me the life of the party, im still an unsociable grumpy somewhat miserable git... but its made it bearable in my own mind unlike before. i changed the benchmark of comparison through learning, through understanding my failures not as failures or shortcomings but simply as different route to get where we all need to go....through life

He reminds me of a lovely trainer who thinks in similar ways about dementia. Having been through a version of this and how incapacitating it can be Robert is a fresh air. Medical cannabis has been a blessing in allowing my brain to rest and reorder itself somewhat. Thanks for the great rewire gurus. I have a child that is completely different to anyone else I have met previously. It has been a challenging journey at times. Going against the grain of societies musts has been difficult.

There are a lot of strategies to make tongue-wetting profit that the average joes don't know. . Personally, the financial-market for me seems the only way forward with my long time horizon (accrued roughly $457k in gains since Mid 2021 ) but if you don’t have that fortune of time it’s a tough market out there almost nowhere feels safe!

His neighbours are just like “never before has eavesdropping been so educational.”

When my Ego hears me thinking about there being no free will.. it paradoxably draws strength from the idea and says back "Ah now that I know this I will keep an eye on what influences my decisions and how I influence others, this will aid me in making more sober decisions". It's so weird and reminds me of something I've seen Sapolsky mention in another lecture "Gaining the strength and will to do X from the irrefutable evidence that X cannot be".

The way I see it, my brain function feels autonomous enough, and I can kinda derive some sense of identity from the actions my mind produces, so I live as such. I may not have the capacity to do things and think thoughts my brain's physiology cannot produce, but the thoughts and feelings I can have tend to allow me to have fun along the way. I may not have the free will to choose to help a homeless person out by preparing meals with a local shelter or ministry, but the behavior can still be produced by my brain and the resulting chemical and neurological signals feel pleasurable enough. I may not have the free will to choose to swing on a rope swing over the water, and watch fish jump, but I still will do it, and enjoy it. I find more relief in the fact or possibility that I do not exist, that my mind was plopped here and I'm just an illusion of self, and my brain has the extremely slight ability to influence its behaviors. I may not have the free will to choose to tell myself positive things, and to strive for external goals which please me, but my brain has the ability to set itself on that track, and I have just enough feeling of control to have fun along the way. It may not be my free choice to do so, but my brain can tell itself not to do some things, and to do other things, and it can influence its own priorities and desires. The physical conditions and groundwork may entirely explain these behaviors, but like a child given a controller which isn't plugged in to the game console, I'm happy enough to take credit for the things I can do and have done that feel like impressive achievements. The more times I get lucky, and the conditions are right, the more times I get to enjoy it all over again. And I find myself doing positive things, and negative things, but I still cherish it all. I may be a construct of my biology, but the things that I love influences the things I do, and while I may not have free will, I still find myself choosing (or, my mind deciding) to see the beauty in life, and to strive for a life of beauty.

This interviewer asks such sincere and smart questions...Really appreciate that he draws Spolasky out to wrestle with the implications of no free will. I wrap my head around no free will, no blame, and no praise by remembering what I was taught in Sunday school..love everyone and forgive. ( Like SPOLASKY I have been an atheist since childhood) It will be a much better world when we grow to accept we are all equal and all deserve to have our needs meet..The status quo is cruel and leads to a world of hurt...the minority enjoy extreme wealth and privilege while the majority suffer.. I hope our institutions will be able to evolve before the current state of inequality breaks us.

To me it's liberating to know life is meaningless. Yes it can be depressing knowing that we are victims of our circumstances & that many of us are given a raw deal in life, but it can also make us more compassionate knowing this, & can allow us to appreciate the amazing things we have created.

Record this man doing anything is the smartest decision, years down the line we will come back to this

He never fails to enlighten me when I listen. He makes the world a better place.

Zero free will does lead to a humbling and more understanding viewpoint

I came to this conclusion many years ago ~that everything that we are is determined by our genes. (Very recently...) I had my dna analysed and it suggested explanations for my abilities that I had toyed with, now I realise that determinisim ticks (almost)!every box. I like the fact that we can all come down from the "higher moral ground" or perhaps (more accurately) stop congratulating ourselves when we rightly occupy it..What still puzzles me is how/why I've been able to make changes that seem contrary to my genetic profile. Ironically, I now believe in God (for scientific reasons...) more than ever. Bentonite clay purges virues (human beings have 300,000 of them!...) expunges toxins, AND provides 67 minerals that are usually absent from our sick food chains. Thank you both for this fascinating interview ☮️💜

Robert sapolsky at his best! I really enjoyed this interview.

I have always been a big fan of Robert Sapolsky, as well as someone who believes in science and reality. Robert challenges you to forget about what you know from watching TV, and actually THINK: something many people are incapable of, or unwilling to do.

beautiful program I am a practicing niche rein buddhist an dI have followed dr sapolsky for number of years although or views of religiosity slightly different I find many of his lectures truly help me better understand try buddhist practice thanks doc I will keep on watching...

I recently discovered Sapolsky only a few weeks ago and I am so glad. He's my new Neil de Grasse Tyson, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins. Fascinating guy, excellent speaker. {:-:-:}

Great Mr Sapolsky! I admire you and I thank you for the wisdom you spread around the world!

I love Robert Sapolsky. His lectures have been so helpful for me

Sapolsky at his best! This is what “woke” looks like. Who’s in? Great questions, Vert!

It’s interesting that knowing that there’s no free will creates depression for him, I’ve had anxiety my whole life like his wife, incredible anxiety, it brings me comfort knowing there’s no free will. To me this means all we need to do is bend the needle for a new trajectory, like machines our people will turn and correct course if we do this right. Flooding the world with education, de programming the hate and re-programming with love. I see a lot of darkness in the future but I see a lot of light and opportunity should the right people be allowed to take influence. What a Time to be alive, all of this education, all of these intellects and who knows what we can do with this place! Possibly survive after all. We are more machine than we think

Thanks for the great questions! Reading 'Behave' has definitely changed my worldview forever.

This one deserves a second watch

..love that it starts out with Blind Willie Johnson on guitar humming with his wife...

Understanding that people are the way they are because of factors they had no control over has made me so much kinder as a person. I’m not perfect at it but I understand at least a little now that even the worst people are ultimately unlucky on a certain level and I don’t have to hate them or wish them to suffer to oppose by harm they do.

This is a peaceful perspective and it's absolutely true

Robert Sapolsky takes away the blame and the Stigma from Depression I Love him and thank ihm For That so much

This interview is a revelation on many levels. A++

Worth a dozen professors. This man can communicate. More… thank you

Robert Sapolsky stating literature is not a realm in which he does well is laughable. He is that rare beast whose factual writing is also beautiful and compelling.

Mr Sapolsky says of how morality feel. Is the way I feel, love neuroscience knowing more and more make you realise how our minds work it's just breath taking.

It's strange, for such a smart man with so much knowledge that he is willing to eloquently communicate,why is the comment section always full of people that clearly have no idea what the Dr. Says so they just slap a compliment that looks like they might understand something he said.

In 300 years we cannot look back and say how horrible we treated people because we had no free will.

Lunchtime pickup soccer back in the late 80's at Stanford...wow Bob hasn't changed a bit.

I really wish Dr. Sapolsky could know how much I appreciate him, even if I didn't have a choice and neither did he. Lol. What a weird concept Edit: I also appreciate the interviewer for conducting a great interview and bringing us this great content. Thanks Vert!

In my opinion, sometimes people with depression may become confused, believing that only they see reality. However, this is a vicious circle that causes them to remain in their depression. It can be beneficial to consciously shift their thinking, focusing on positive aspects of their life and challenging their negative thought patterns. Seeking help from professionals like therapists and counselors can provide the tools and support needed to break this cycle. Meditation, exercise, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can also contribute to improving one's mental state. Remember, it's important to reach out and not to endure these struggles alone.

Thank you, interviewer, for delving into the thought-provoking topic of free will with Robert Sapolsky on this podcast. Sapolsky's ideas on free will have always fascinated me, and it was intriguing to hear his distinction between change and free will, which is like a teaser for his upcoming book set to release in October 2023. I'm eagerly looking forward to diving deeper into Sapolsky's insights on this complex subject. In the meantime, I'll continue exploring related resources to satisfy my curiosity about how change comes about. Great podcast! Can't wait for the book release!

“ We didn’t start the fire “ ~ Billy Joel. No free will.

This is so interesting! and i've felt the same as RS for ages about the lack of free will. The challenge this interview raises for me is how can we "truly feel" anything? Without blame, hate and praise... Is love anything more than another social construct? How should we choose to do anything without purpose / the feeling of purpose? And lastly if "feelings" are only neurochemistry, what behaviour should we display from a burst of serotonin or dopamine or cortisol and by that same problem, what things should cause those neuro-chemistries.... is the only 'true' philosophy nialism? is everything nothing?? AAAAAHHHHHH! *EXISTENTIAL MELT DOWN* (AGAIN!)

If you have depression, it’s pretty important to not compare yourself to others and don’t let others dictate how you feel. Seek help, but how you feel is valid and “real”

Very refreshing, makes perfect sense. Thank you

Thanks so much for this, it's the longest interview I've seen with him clearly expressing his knowledge in this area.

Unfortunately, since I don’t have free will, I can’t decide whether or not to believe in free will. I either will or will not, but it’s already been determined. It’s funny how a guy who doesn’t believe in free will keeps talking about how we should structure society. Obviously that has been predetermined as well

Like Professor Sapolsky, I was about 13 when I came to the realization that there was no god. I spent the next several years of my life trying to figure out what I believed could substitute for morality. In 1972 I formulated my thoughts in my philosophy Masters Thesis at Michigan State in which I argued for what today would be called Super Determinism. I postulated that all human behavior was the result of conditioned neural pathways which I called a prior prepotent response which could either be triggered as unconscious or conscious, to explain the difference driving a car and trying to run someone over. Since all actions are determined, I came to the same conclusions as Professor Sapolsky about praise and blame. However, I think it's easier if we think of praise and blame as emotions like love and hate or pleasure and anger. The revelation is when we understand this. Just like I can't deny someone's anger or love, I can't deny praise or blame in others or even myself. All I can do is understand it and conduct myself with that understanding. In other words, accepting that there is no free will doesn't change the world or human behavior, only your relationship to it.

"You are free to do what you want, but you are not free to want what you want." - Schopenhauer

Another Sapolsky T shirt: "It's no one's fault"

But if there’s no free will how can one say “my god, the damage we have done.”?

The best interview on the subject. Very thought provoking. Yes, there is no free will. But then what behavioral and moral conclusions we draw from it? I also struggle with the forming my personal conclusions, and also not devoting enough time to analyze it. Listening to this discussion helps directing key questions to personally reflect on, to form a scientifically consistent world view. Thank you!

Let us build a world where everyone is treated with love and compassion no matter who they are or what they have done because we know that ultimately everyone’s behavior is decided by things beyond their control.

It's impossible not to love this man. This mind.

Is it just me or does it feel like a relief to not be in control and not have purpose? Feels like I can’t fail or succeed and I can just enjoy the ride lol. Control and purpose seems like so much work lol.

Dr Sapolsky is speaking clearly and in depth about the reality of the physical substrate of consciousness. However, doing away with praise is a bad idea. Praise is one of the positives that help properly raise a human.

Super interesting talk. Robert Sapolsky mellows me out.

Dr. Robert Sapolsky is so far ahead of our time it's hard to even fathom. He gives me hope for humanity's future and I'm happier because I know he exists and have access to his ideas. Thank you.

Most of your conscious control is the timing of cascades of synchronization from the breath down. You can regulate biological functions through the rate of breathing, neuronal firing, immune response, adrenal response etc. But you can’t change the conditions or mechanisms. So in a terribly smelling room you can’t make a huge difference with slow deep breaths. And under intense conditions it may be hard to keep awareness of your breathe instead of act instinctively. A trained military agent will take control of their breath before taking action. People do it instinctively in stressful situations. When the biology takes over in a panic attack you lose control of your breath. Problem is we never teach people how to use their breath. You can probably tell who the killer is going to be if you had access to their breathing patterns half an hour before committing the act.

Yes there is free will simply because no matter your first or basic impulse or emotion, you can consciously choose to go along with it or not. Freud may have called it superego. Its self discipline. Free will only referes to a philosophical attitude towards self discipline.

Psychology tells us that to be mentally healthy we need to have meaning and purpose, as well as a sense of achievement (among other needs). If these are scientifically illusory, then they remain necessary for healthy survival.

I would also add the class struggle phenomenon to this. The Abrahamic crime and punishment system also serves the class struggle by shielding the elites who commit crimes and consolidating the underclasses who are prone to neurological "bad luck"

Humanity is and has been at a turning point every day the sun rises. This interview is proof that humanity has always been in trouble.

At about minute 18: "We're gonna be so sorry we treated people so badly just 'cause we just didn't understand biology." If we could do differently then there is free will, isn't there. Another sophist.

The thing is people act as if they had free will. Even if someone believes in determinism they continue to blame others for their actions and we also blame ourselves for our actions. How can you explain that? How can we live in a better world if people continue to act out of ignorance of religious beliefs and out of lack of compassion and empathy for the other?

Great interviewer! I found the questions very intelligent!

I understand what he is saying, but holding ourselves and others accountable can sometimes lead to the desire to learn and to change

Can't get enough of Robert Sapolsky. Love it if this were 3 times as long lol. Great video

Thank you Robert!!! We adore you!!! Love listening to you!!! Watched all your lectures at Stanford! Keep going!

This man is intellegent obviously well educated on the details of very complex subjects. He is a self proclaimed Nihilist, but still gets out of bed every day, still is married with children, and wishes he wasn’t depressed. He’s a living breathing contradiction of his own beliefs. Every time he utters an opinion about anything, he is breaking with nihilism. There has to be purpose in the universe, evident by the universe existing at all. It’s intrinsic. Even unconscious animals like bacteria have at least one goal in life to reproduce and to create more. It’s one thing to study human behavior down to the knitty gritty details but to use that information and determine that life in pointless and purposeless is sad. Even geniuses can be mentally ill.

As mush as an estimator of Prof. Sapolsky as I am, I am not sold on this view, and I am pretty sure he is not 100% sold either. Especially the point towards the end where he talks about changing is contradicting what he said before, because change is as a conscious decision as to pull the trigger, some choose to change, some choose to not change. I agree that free will is much more limited that generally assumed, I think it is non existent in the realm of the “up to three seconds”, but that is not to say that it does not exist. Furthermore, while he focuses on the neurobiology, I think he downplays (or does not consider enough) external factors such as rules and cultures and their personal interiorizations.

It is really so cruel how society demonizes people who are suffering from clinical depression and/or mental illness. I've never understood why a heart condition or brain tumor is acceptable and evokes great sympathy, but an imbalance of the brain chemistry is scorned and vilified as if the person should have a scarlet letter tattooed on their forehead.

I like this guy! Super approachable.

I would love to see Dr.Sapolsky and Dr. Peterson, discuss free will and philosophy. I feel not only would we benefit, but I think it would be good for his new book, it would be enriching for all of us

Free-will is an emergent phenomenon that is based on chaos theory and strange attractors around our brain chemistry. that is strange attractors create a general order and direction in behavior, but a small divergence makes exact prediction of behavior from a given point more and more difficult as the time window moves forward from a given point. It is like understanding the direction in which a river flows vs predicting the trajectory of an individual water molecule. this is why platforms like Facebook, Google and Amazon are so valuable. They have engagement and behavioral data for large amounts of people. This means that, though they might not predict if an individual will engage with content that may stimulate a behavior (typically something with economic consequence), they can predict what fraction should be engaged and also potentially shape future behavior because of exposure to content and also group people into engagement likelihood cohorts (much like how KZfaq presented this video in the sidebar based on other things I watched). I am so confused when he defends the bad behavior being based on treatment by parents or society. Two children raised in the same household can behave very differently. Note: that if you are an identical twin whose twin develops schizophrenia, you have a 50% chance of developing schizophrenia - not a 100% chance. So perhaps the legal system should act as a selective pressure, preventing those more prone to being a selective pressure themselves moving forward in the genetic stream of future generations. Though this does fall into the realm of eugenics.

Vert Dider does an excellent job as the moderator/interviewer, IMO.

Yep, I can confirm - there is no free will... After 5 minutes of watching this video, I have automatically switched to Amazon and I have just bought and sent to my Kindel the book of prof. Sapolsky... :)

Free will is an idea anchored in the realm of the spirit (as in like espirit de corps). It operates independently on material/physical realm. Fantasies are a manifestation of will and no physical/biological detection for their existence exist. And yet fantasies live and breathe in us. Great talk.

So we don’t need to believe in free will we need to believe in change.

I agree with Robert !! Every human has the freedom to choose between good n bad!! If unable to take action , at least think it to be bad!!👍

His original point that action potentials cause us to move our finger has yet to be proven. Correlation is not causation. There's still room for free will.