What Most People Get Wrong About Free Will and Genetics | Dr. Damien Morris

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In this episode, Russell talks with Damien Morris about free will, genetics, and responsibility. They explore why genetic explanations for behavior are often misunderstood, what people get wrong about determinism, and how philosophical assumptions shape research in behavioral genetics, psychology, and social science.

Damien explains the idea of “free will by subtraction,” why ignorance cannot be the basis of freedom, and how different views of free will lead to very different conclusions about responsibility, inequality, and criminal justice. They also discuss why genetics does not erase agency and why philosophy still matters for understanding human behavior.

Read the article discussed in this episode: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/twin-research-and-human-genetics/article/behavioral-genetics-and-human-agency-how-selectively-deterministic-theories-of-free-will-drive-unwarranted-opposition-to-behavioral-genetic-research-and-undermine-our-moral-and-legal-conventions-part-i/EF9614F273F0F07150C5DBB29F1DF1D8

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