What is free will?

0:00 Welcome to Philosophy is not boring by kidopoly.com. I'm Mira! And I'm Finn. Before we dive in today, we want to send a massive hello to eight-year-old Briley and seven-year-old Kaylee listening on the school run in Hawaii.

0:15 We heard you both absolutely love tackling every single quiz at the end of the show, which is so awesome!

0:22 And if you haven't already, tap follow wherever you're listening so you never miss an episode.

0:27 Okay, Mira. What are we talking about today? I am ready to use my brain.

0:32 Well, Finn, I want you to do something really simple for me right now. Just raise your hand in the air.

0:39 Okay, raising my hand. Easy peasy. Now, who chose to do that? Uh I did? You asked me to, but I am the one who decided to actually lift it.

0:51 It feels like you made that choice right in the exact moment, doesn't it? But what if I told you that a scientist measured people doing things just like that, and found out that their brains started making the choice before they even knew they were choosing.

1:06 Wait, what? My brain decides before I decide. How is that even possible?

1:12 That is the big mystery! Today we are exploring the huge ancient question of free will, and a famous experiment that made everyone stop and say, wait, do you really choose what you do?

1:25 So, free will. That just means I can choose what I want, right? Like choosing a chocolate donut instead of a glazed one, or deciding what game to play at recess.

1:35 Exactly. Free will is the idea that we are in charge of our own actions. Philosophers have argued about this for thousands of years. They asked if it's all fate, meaning everything is already planned out like a movie script, or if we truly steer our own ship.

1:54 I definitely feel like I steer the ship, especially when there are donuts involved.

2:00 Most of us feel that way. But in 1983, a scientist decided to actually test it and see if that feeling is true. How do you test something invisible like a choice? That is what makes this so brilliant! His name was Benjamin Libert, and he did this experiment in San Francisco. He gathered volunteers and gave them a very simple instruction.

2:24 Was it about choosing snacks? Sadly, no. He asked them to just flick their wrist, or flex their hand, whenever they felt like it. Just a totally free, random choice.

2:37 Okay, I'm flicking my wrist right now. Not very exciting, but totally my choice to do it.

2:43 But here is the tricky part. While they did this, they watched a special clock that moved super fast. Libbet told them, pay close attention to the exact moment you feel the urge to move, and remember exactly where the clock hand was.

2:59 Oh, so they had to mark the exact split second they decided to flick their wrist.

3:04 Yes, and at the very same time, Libet had special wires on their heads, measuring their brain activity to see what the brain was doing.

3:13 Okay, so he is watching the brain and they are watching the clock. What did he find?

3:18 He found something that completely shocked the science world. There is something called a readiness potential, or a readiness signal. It's a little burst of electricity the brain makes when it's gearing up to move a muscle.

3:32 Like reving a car engine before you actually hit the gas pedal.

3:36 Exactly like that. So, Libett checked the timing. He looked at when the person said, I have decided to move right now, and compared it to when the brain's engine started reving.

3:49 Wait, let me guess. The brain started revving before they decided.

3:54 Yes. The readiness signal in the brain started about a third of a second before the person actually felt like they had made the choice.

4:04 A third of a second? That doesn't sound like a long time, but it's before. The cause is happening before the person even knows about it.

4:13 Right. In brain time, a third of a second is huge. Imagine you were driving a car and you decide to turn left. A split second before you think it, your brain prepares the movement. But your hands actually turn the wheel after your conscious thought.

4:31 That is wild. It makes it sound like my brain is secretly in charge, and it's just tricking me into thinking I made the choice.

4:38 That is exactly what a lot of people thought when the experiment came out. They said, look, this proves free will is an illusion. We are just biological machines following a script.

4:52 But that doesn't seem fair. If my brain decides before I do, how can anyone be blamed for anything? Like, sorry I broke the lamp, mum, my readiness signal did it before I even knew. I don't think that excuse would work on mum. But seriously, it's kind of weird to think about. Am I just a passenger in my own body?

5:14 It is a really strange feeling, and it's totally okay if it feels a little uncomfortable. People have spent thousands of years wondering if we are truly free. But here is the amazing reply that many philosophers give to this experiment.

5:31 Okay, I am ready. Rescue my free will, please.

5:36 They ask a very simple question. When the brain makes that readiness signal in the background, whose brain is it?

5:45 Well, it's my brain.

5:47 Exactly. The problem is that we sometimes think of our unconscious brain as some stranger living inside our heads. But philosophers say that a choice that begins below the surface is still your choice. Wait, say that again? Think of an iceberg. We only see the top part floating above the water, right?

6:10 That is your conscious mind, the part of you that talks and watches the fast clock.

6:16 And the huge chunk of ice hiding underwater. What is that?

6:20 That's the rest of your brain. The deeper part that does a million things at once without you even noticing. If a choice starts in the deep underwater part and bubbles up to the top, it's all still the same iceberg. It's all still you.

6:38 Ooh, I never thought of it like that. So the readiness signal isn't an alien taking over. It's just me working things out before the top part of the iceberg realizes it.

6:50 Exactly. The surface and the depths are both you. You aren't just a machine. You are a deeply complex human being. And your choices are made by your whole self, not just the little part that talks out loud.

7:06 Phew. Okay. I feel much better about my iceberg brain now. I am the whole iceberg. And this actually matters a lot for how we live right now.

7:17 Have you ever done something completely random, like reached for a snack before you even realised you wanted it?

7:24 Yes. Last week we were playing a game, and my hand just shot out and grabbed a piece of popcorn. I didn't even think I should eat this popcorn.

7:34 I just did it. Exactly. Your deep brain processed that urge, prepared the action, and generated the readiness signal way before your conscious mind had time to catch up. But it was still you who chose the popcorn.

7:49 Yeah, I am a popcorn-eating hero, not a robot.

7:54 Next time you make a random choice or feel an urge to do something, remember that there is a whole hidden ocean of thinking happening inside you.

8:03 So Benjamin Libette didn't think we were just robots either.

8:07 No, he didn't. And here is a mind-bending fact. Even though Libet found that the brain starts the action early, he believed you still have a split second to stop it. Like hitting the brakes. Yes. He called it free won't instead of free will. Your brain might automatically rev up the engine to flick your wrist or eat that donut.

8:30 But right before it happens, your conscious mind can step in and say, nope, stop.

8:36unknown Ha ha!

8:37 Free won't! I love that. My deep brain says throw the snowball at Mira, but my free won't says, better not, she's recording a podcast.

8:48 I highly appreciate your free won't, Finn. And it just shows that this ancient question about freedom is still alive, and we are still learning how our incredible minds actually work. Alright, Finn, time for the quiz. Are you ready?

9:03 Okay, my whole iceberg brain is ready. Let's do this. First question.

9:09 What was the name of the scientist who did this famous experiment? Next one. What year did this famous wrist flicking experiment take place? Question three. In what city did this experiment happen? Here's number four. What did the participants look at to track the exact time they made a choice? Last question.

9:44 Did the brain's readiness signal happen before or after the person felt they made the choice? Great job! Let's see how you did. The first answer is the scientist's name was Benjamin Libert. For question two, the experiment happened in the year 1983. Number three, the answer is it took place in San Francisco.

10:12 For question four, they looked at a fast moving clock. And the final answer is the brain signal happened before the person felt they made the choice.

10:23 That is seriously so cool. I am going to be thinking about my iceberg brain all day long. Next time I choose a snack, I'm gonna wonder when I actually decided.

10:34 Me too. It's one of those questions that makes the whole world feel just a bit more mysteries.

10:40 If this episode made your brain do a double take, please leave us a five-star review. Just scroll down and tap the stars.

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11:05 See you next time on Philosophy is not boring. Bye.