346. Kennon Sheldon — What the New Psychology of the Self Teaches Us About Free Will, Determinism, and Self-Determinism

<p>It’s become fashionable to argue that free will is a fiction: that we humans are in the thrall of animal urges and unconscious biases and only think that we are choosing freely. In <em>Freely Determined</em>, research psychologist Kennon Sheldon argues that this perception is not only wrong but also dangerous.</p> <p>Shermer and Sheldon discuss: definitions of free will, determinism, compatibilism, libertarian free will • dualism • reductionism, materialism, predetermination, and epiphenomenalism • Christian List’s three capacities for free will • AI, <em>Star Trek</em>’s Data, sentience and consciousness, ChatGPT, GPT-4 • how what people believe about free will and determinism influences their behaviors • the case for hard determinism • brain injuries, tumors, addictions, and other “determiners” of behavior • emergence • symbolic self • System 1 vs. System 2 thinking •  Experiencing Self vs. Remembered Self •  subjective well-being and happiness.</p> <p>Kennon M. Sheldon is professor of psychology at the University of Missouri. He is one of the founding researchers of positive psychology, a fellow of the American Psychological Association, and a recipient of the Templeton Foundation Positive Psychology Prize. He lives in Columbia, Missouri. He is the author of numerous scientific papers and scholarly books, including <em>Stability of Happiness: Theories and Evidence on Whether Happiness Can Change</em>; <em>Designing the Future of Positive Psychology: Taking Stock and Moving Forward</em>; <em>Current Directions in Psychological Science</em>; and <em>Self-Determination Theory in the Clinic</em>. His new book integrates all this research into a popular trade book <em>Freely Determined: What the New Psychology of the Self Teaches Us About How to Live</em>.</p>