The Free Will Show
Taylor Cyr and Matt Flummer
Do any of us really have free will? What does it mean to have free will, anyway? Is free will compatible with determinism? Hasn’t science disproved free will? How could we have free will if God exists and foreknows everything that we will ever do? The Free Will Show provides a beginner-friendly introduction to the topic of free will while at the same time exposing listeners to cutting-edge developments on the topic. Hosted by a couple of philosophers, Taylor Cyr and Matt Flummer, The Free Will Show features interviews with guests on a diverse array of issues relating to free will, including issues in science and theology. thefreewillshow.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 11, 2026 • 38min
Episode 119: Self-Prediction and Time Travel with Alison Fernandes
Alison Fernandes, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin known for work on time and causation. She discusses time travel paradoxes like the grandfather problem. She explains how knowing fixed facts can block deliberation through an ignorance condition. She contrasts amnesia and abilities and explores how memory and prediction shape why we treat past as fixed and future as open.
Apr 27, 2026 • 39min
Episode 118: Physics and Libertarian Free Will with Jeffrey Koperski
Jeffrey Koperski, philosopher of science and religion who studies physics and free will, joins to debate whether physics rules out libertarian freedom. He explains forms of determinism and physicists' main objections. He explores dualism, types of emergence, renormalization, and multiscale examples that could leave room for higher-level causal powers.
Apr 13, 2026 • 35min
Episode 117: The Structure of Agency with Joshua Shepherd
Joshua Shepherd, ICREA research professor studying philosophy of mind and agency, explores the structure of control and what it means for actions to be 'up to' someone. He maps a ladder of agency from simple organisms to human agents. He also breaks down creative intelligence, its cognitive ingredients, and how feelings and AI impact creativity.
Mar 30, 2026 • 44min
Episode 116: The Simulation Hypothesis and Free Will with Marcus Arvan
In this episode, we talk with Marcus Arvan about how the simulation hypothesis explains various philosophical phenomena, including free will.Marcus's website: https://www.marcusarvan.net/Marcus's paper: A New Theory of Free WillTwitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/
Mar 16, 2026 • 1h 4min
Episode 115: Abilities with Barbara Vetter
In this episode, we talk with Barbara Vetter about abilities and how we come to know what abilities we have.Barbara's website: http://barbaravetter.de/Barbara's first book, Potentiality: From Dispositions to Modality: https://academic.oup.com/book/26364?login=falseTwitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/
Mar 2, 2026 • 44min
Episode 114: Responsibility for Consequences and the AI Responsibility Gap with Huzeyfe Demirtas
Huzeyfe Demirtas, a Harvard postdoc studying moral responsibility and AI ethics. He discusses responsibility for consequences using vivid examples. He examines resultant moral luck and critiques the degree–scope reply. He explores the so-called AI responsibility gap and argues it may be inevitable yet manageable, with practical legal and regulatory implications.
Feb 16, 2026 • 41min
Episode 113: Determinism and the Principle of Sufficient Reason with Shaun Nichols
Shaun Nichols, Cornell philosopher studying cognitive science and experimental philosophy. He discusses how children and adults seek causal explanations, the Principle of Sufficient Reason and its historical links to determinism, cultural and developmental findings on explanatory compulsion, tensions between felt openness in choice and deterministic intuitions, and directions for experimental philosophy.
Feb 2, 2026 • 36min
Episode 112: Divine Luck with Andre Leo Rusavuk
Andre Rusavuk, a philosopher studying luck and religion, explores whether God can be subject to kinds of luck. He talks about present luck, libertarian freedom, and analogies that challenge divine immunity. He distinguishes constitutive and indirect luck and considers theological responses to these puzzles.
Jan 19, 2026 • 33min
Episode 111: Divine Responsibility with Nathan Bray and Stephen Kershnar
This episode starts a new series of the podcast that won’t have any particular guiding theme but instead looks at various topics that scholars are working on. In this episode, we talk with Nathan Bray and Stephen Kershnar about whether God is morally responsible. Nathan's Website: https://philpeople.org/profiles/nathan-bray-1Stephen's Website: https://philpeople.org/profiles/stephen-kershnarTwitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/
Dec 22, 2025 • 52min
Episode 110: John Duns Scotus with Thomas Williams
In this episode, we talk with Thomas Williams about John Duns Scotus and his views on free will and how they differ from Anselm's and Aquinas's views.Thomas's website: https://www.profthomaswilliams.com/Thomas's chapter on Scotus's views of free will can be found in the Routledge Companion to Free WillThomas also wrote the SEP article: John Duns ScotusTwitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/
