All topics / free will
Topic
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Free will
8
episodes
8
thinkers
23h
of conversation
40
books & papers
21
terms defined
The neighbourhood: free will and the ideas it travels with. Drag to roam, click a star for the episode, click a neighbour to travel.
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From foundational to frontier
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The lexicon
Every term the guests lean on, in plain language. Read one in full, or filter to find it.
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What the corpus says
The throughline across every conversation that touches this idea.
Lee Cronin's assembly theory posits that the complexity of an object is determined by its assembly index, which captures the minimum steps needed to recreate it.
Cronin argues that life on Mars can be detected by identifying molecules with a molecular weight over 350 and more than 15 fragments, indicating biological origins.
Cronin challenges the notion that physics alone can explain life's emergence, asserting a disconnect between physics and biology.
Assembly theory suggests that time is fundamental, opposing deterministic views of the universe's future.
Cronin claims the probability of AGI doom is 0%, arguing that intelligence and decision-making are uniquely human.
Ayla's surveys on sexual preferences involve over 500,000 participants, challenging typical small-scale psychology studies.
Ayla suggests that higher pricing in escorting leads to safer client interactions, countering the notion that it's classist.
The correlation between the taboo nature and popularity of fetishes is 0.69, indicating less taboo fetishes are more popular.
Ayla made over $100,000 in some months on OnlyFans, attributing success to external marketing rather than platform discovery.
Polyamorous relationships require excessive communication about feelings, especially jealousy, contrasting with monogamy.
Free will is largely an illusion, with consciousness creating the perception of choice.
Neuroscience suggests decisions are made before we are consciously aware, challenging traditional free will.
Voices on free will
12 standout quotes from across the corpus.
Go read
40 books and papers cited across these episodes.
For the specialist
What experts find new
20 expert-level takeaways for a specialist reader.
At the frontier
Still unresolved
11 open questions flagged across these conversations.
The thinkers
Who takes this idea on, by how often they return to it.
