Reflections on Free Will, Language, and Political Power | John Searle | Talks at Google

Talks at Google・2 minutes read

Professor John Searle is discussing his book "Freedom and Neurobiology," exploring the philosophical problem of free will and the gap between causal explanations and decision-making. He argues that the presence of free will introduces mysteries of consciousness and quantum mechanics, challenging deterministic views and emphasizing the complexity of rational decision-making in conscious beings.

Insights

Searle's book "Freedom and Neurobiology" delves into the philosophical problem of free will, exploring the tension between causal explanations and alternative possibilities in decision-making, highlighting the unique nature of the free will dilemma and proposing potential links to quantum mechanics.
The speaker emphasizes the complexity of free will evaluation, discussing the integration of psychological and neurobiological properties in decision-making processes, the distinction between conscious and unconscious actions, and the intricate relationships between consciousness, unconscious motivations, and self-deception, ultimately questioning the purpose and significance of rational decision-making within the deterministic framework.

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Recent questions

What is Professor John Searle known for?
Philosophy of language, mind, consciousness, and AI.
What is the focus of Searle's book "Freedom and Neurobiology"?
Free will, language, and political power reflections.
How does Searle address the problem of free will?
Tension between causal explanations and decision-making.
What is Searle's view on the relationship between consciousness and neurobiology?
Gap between conscious experience and neural processes.
How does Searle propose to reconcile free will with determinism?
Quantum mechanics as a potential explanation.

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Summary

00:00

"Philosopher John Searle discusses free will"

Professor John Searle, a renowned philosopher, is visiting Google as part of the author's at Google program.
He is respected for his work in philosophy of language, mind, consciousness, and artificial intelligence.
Searle is discussing his book "Freedom and Neurobiology: Reflections on Free Will, Language, and Political Power."
The book has been praised for being both readable and empirical, a rare combination for a philosophy book.
Searle recounts the surprising origin of the book, which stemmed from lectures in Paris that were later published without his knowledge.
The book addresses two unrelated topics: political power and free will, which were translated into multiple languages.
Searle explains the shift in philosophy towards integrating knowledge growth and the challenge of aligning human self-conception with scientific understanding.
He delves into the philosophical problem of free will, highlighting the tension between causal explanations and the sense of alternative possibilities in decision-making.
Searle argues that the gap between causes of decisions and the actual making of decisions, as well as the onset of actions, creates the problem of free will.
Despite the possibility that free will may be an illusion, Searle emphasizes that individuals cannot act on the assumption of determinism, showcasing the unique nature of the free will dilemma.

15:59

"Resolving Free Will and Determinism Debate"

Philosophical problem: conflicting reasons with powerful arguments, no clear solution.
Compatibilism: belief that free will and determinism can coexist, actions determined by inner causes.
Engineering problem analogy: designing a conscious beast with free will or complete determinism.
Hypothesis one: all behavior determined, even free actions are fixed by inner mental causes.
Hypothesis two: certain human actions, like rational decisions, have a degree of indeterminacy.
Historical example: Judgment of Paris myth, Paris's choice influenced by offered bribes.
Consciousness and neurobiology: gap between conscious experience and neural processes.
Quantum mechanics: introduces randomness at the fundamental level, challenges determinism.
Fallacy of composition: randomness at lower level doesn't imply randomness at higher level.
Hypothesis two implications: consciousness may have quantum mechanical basis, explaining free rational decision-making.

32:02

"Exploring Free Will: Determinism vs Quantum Mechanics"

Hypothesis one suggests that everything is predetermined, with all actions and decisions laid out since the Big Bang, leading to the illusion of free will.
An argument against this deterministic view is the biological expense of rational decision-making, requiring significant resources and effort.
The complexity of rational decision-making, if ultimately inconsequential, raises doubts about its purpose and significance.
The speaker acknowledges the limitations of current scientific knowledge, opting to work with existing materials and theories to explore the possibility of free will.
Quantum mechanics is proposed as a potential explanation for indeterminacy and free will, contrasting with deterministic views.
Chaos theory, while complex, does not offer true indeterminacy like quantum mechanics does.
Hypothesis two, suggesting free will as a genuine aspect of nature, aligns with common-sense beliefs but introduces additional mysteries of consciousness and quantum mechanics.
The presence of free will is not limited to humans but extends to higher animals with consciousness and decision-making abilities.
The distinction between conscious, rational choices and unconscious, deterministic actions highlights the unique nature of free will in conscious beings.
The integration of psychological and neurobiological properties in decision-making processes underscores the complexity of the mind-body relationship and the potential for free will.

47:16

Unconscious Motivations Influence Conscious Decision-Making

Free will evaluation is complex due to unconscious motivations affecting what seems like conscious decisions.
Consciousness, unconscious repression, and self-deception create intricate relationships.
Simple cases may not involve complex issues like revenge, but real-life decisions often have hidden motivations.
Consciousness and quantum behavior are linked, with consciousness being a feature of the brain at a higher level.
Consciousness and neural processes coexist as part of a unified causal system.
Evolutionary arguments question the biological cost of consciousness if it serves no purpose.
Consciousness exists as an on/off switch in systems, with varying degrees within conscious entities.
The phylogenetic scale's extent of consciousness remains unknown.
Indeterminism in human behavior explanations lacks causally sufficient conditions, unlike deterministic physical laws.
Quantum indeterminacy introduces randomness at a fundamental level, potentially impacting consciousness explanations.

01:02:43

"Compatibilism vs Freewill: Rational Explanations and Determinism"

The speaker discusses the issue of compatibilism and freewill, highlighting the importance of rational explanations for events and actions that are not deterministic in form. They argue that if freewill exists, there must be cases where causes are not sufficient to determine specific events, contrasting this with the compatibilist view that all events are causally determined.
The speaker distinguishes their examination of hypothesis two, focusing on rational decision-making and explanations that are not deterministic, from the objections raised against compatibilism. They emphasize the need to preserve the ability for rational explanations without being deterministic, which they believe is lost in compatibilism.

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