Conversation
Determinism and Free Will: A Look at the Selfish Gene Theory | Kaveh Behbahani
Are our behaviors and choices predetermined by genes and biological factors? In this conversation, Kaveh Behbahani examines the problem of determinism and free will and the limits of human freedom through the lens of the selfish gene theory.
About this video
The problem of determinism and free will is one of the oldest and most fundamental questions in philosophy: Is the human being truly free in their choices and behaviors, or are their decisions the result of a chain of prior and determining factors? Advances in evolutionary biology have added new dimensions to this question.
In this conversation, Alireza Emtiaz and Kaveh Behbahani explore the problem of determinism and free will, focusing on the "selfish gene theory." This theory, which emphasizes the role of genes in explaining behavior and the evolutionary process, raises the question of the extent to which human behavior can be explained by biological and evolutionary factors, and what relation this explanation has to free will.
The central focus of the discussion is an examination of the limits of human free will in the face of genetic, biological, and environmental factors. This conversation also provides an opportunity to reflect on the boundary between the scientific explanation of human behavior and philosophical questions about responsibility, freedom, and choice.
