When Gabi first started researching this episode, she thought it was going to be one of our lighter ones—maybe even a little woo-woo; a fun little chat about whether fate is real or not. Instead, she found that, at the heart of the discussion about fate is the question of the existence of another big F word: Free will. In other words, does fate exist? Or is every choice we make simply the result of enacting free will? The concept of free will is essential to every component of American politics, from welfare provision to criminal law. It’s also deeply embedded into popular culture and the American dream—the idea that it’s possible for anyone to succeed here, regardless of where they come from and what they are given. In this episode, we ask the question: are we, in fact, all agents of free will? Or is our brain doing more subconsciously than we could ever know to decide our fate?

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LINKS

https://www.amazon.com/Free-Will-Sam-Harris/dp/1451683405

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/theres-no-such-thing-as-free-will/480750/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6857186/

https://www.chemistryworld.com/review/the-science-of-fate-why-your-future-is-more-predictable-than-you-think/3010786.article

https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2014/01/15/261716096/the-choice-is-yours-the-fate-of-free-will

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-fate-of-free-will-when-science-crosses-swords-with-philosophy/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/transcending-the-past/202101/fate-and-destiny-what-role-do-they-play-in-your-life