Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal
Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal
Theories of Everything
Aaron Schurger: Neuroscience Does Not Threaten Free Will
1 hour 32 minutes Posted Oct 30, 2025 at 9:48 pm.
The Readiness Potential
Reinterpreting Libet's Results
Autocorrelated Neural Noise
Noise vs. Conscious Imperative
Resolving Libet's Paradox
The Point of No Return
Attention Schema Theory
Explaining "What It's Like"
Consciousness & Action Initiation
Testing Consciousness Thresholds
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Show notes
The Libet experiment didn't kill free will, says professor of neuroscience Aaron Schurger; the brain's "readiness potential" is simply stochastic neural noise. We then tackle consciousness's role in initiating action, the hard problem, and what it'd take for neuroscience to truly disprove our choices. If you’re interested in the topics above, I think you’ll love this podcast.
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Links mentioned:
- Aaron Schurger’s Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lBSjfagAAAAJ&hl=en
- Daniel Dennett [TOE]: https://youtu.be/bH553zzjQlI
- Determined: A Science Of Life Without Free Will [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/Determined-Science-Life-without-Free/dp/B0BVNSX4CQ/ref=sr_1_1
- Robert Sapolsky [TOE]: https://youtu.be/z0IqA1hYKY8
- An Accumulator Model For Spontaneous Neuralactivity Prior To Self-Initiated Movement [Paper]: https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.1210467109
- Consciousness Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/65yjqIDghEk
- Stephen Wolfram [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4
- Awareness As A Perceptual Model Of Attention [Paper]: https://grazianolab.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf3411/files/graziano/files/cog_neurosci_2011b.pdf
- Cortical Activity Is More Stable When Sensory Stimuliare Consciously Perceived [Paper]: https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.1418730112
- Propofol Anesthesia Destabilizes Neural Dynamics Across Cortex [Paper]: https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0896-6273%2824%2900446-X
- Jenann Ismael [TOE]: https://youtu.be/7kvXihDAOi0
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Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science.
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