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
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/
Dec 8, 2025 • 44min
Episode 109: Thomas Aquinas with Harm Goris
In this episode, we talk with Harm Goris about Thomas Aquinas’s views of free will and human agency.Harm's website: https://tilburguniversity.academia.edu/HarmGorisHarm's chapter on Aquinas can be found in the Routledge Companion to Free Will.Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/
Nov 24, 2025 • 36min
Episode 108: Anselm of Canterbury with Sandra Visser
Sandra Visser, a philosophy professor specializing in metaphysics and the philosophy of religion, delves into the fascinating life and thought of Anselm of Canterbury. She discusses Anselm's unique definition of free will as preserving justice and explores how sin results from an inordinate desire rather than mere error. Visser also connects Anselm's views on human freedom with divine perfection, emphasizing that God's freedom is univocal and self-initiated. Listeners will appreciate the depth of Anselm's insights on free will, grace, and moral agency.
Nov 10, 2025 • 1h 2min
Episode 107: Ibn Sīnā with Jon McGinnis
In this episode, we talk with Jon McGinnis about Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna) and his views about divine and human agency.Jon's website: https://www.medieval.utoronto.ca/people/directories/all-faculty/jon-mcginnisJon's book, Avicenna: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/avicenna-9780195331479?cc=us&lang=en&Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/
Oct 27, 2025 • 45min
Episode 106: Boethius with John Marenbon
In this episode, we talk with John Marenbon about free will and foreknowledge in Boethius's most famous work, the Consolation of Philosophy.John's PhilPeople profile: https://philpeople.org/profiles/john-marenbonJohn's Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Boethius: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/boethius/Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/
