Philosopher David Hume called it the most contentious issue in metaphysics. Actually, nearly every major figure in the history of philosophy has weighed in on the topic somewhere in their work.
Free will … the capacity of rational agents to choose a course of action from among various alternatives. Is the issue really that complicated?
Today on Thinking with Somebody Else’s Head, Liberating ourselves from our free will.
Well, Hume was right. The issue of the free will is contentious. And I’ll be diving into the controversy, too, in a moment. A fascinating subject.
But first, a number of you have been writing to ask that I let you know about the new call-in radio show I’m launching with world-renowned author and psychoanalyst, Dr. Claudia Pacheco. I’m not surprised there’s so much interest. You who’ve been listening to this Podcast over the past year and a half must’ve come to appreciate the clarity and wisdom of the science behind this show.
It’s called Analytical Trilogy, and it’s not an easy science to encapsulate in a sentence or two. Analytical Trilogy is essentially a union of theology, philosophy and science that gives us a comprehensive view of the psychology of the human being and the reflections of this human psychology on the greater social structures we live within. Our political structures, our wars, our education systems of lack thereof, our environmental challenges … all have their birthplace inside the human psyche. And no one in history has clarified that better than the man behind Analytical Trilogy, Dr. Norberto Keppe.
Whether it be something every psychologist or human potential workshop leader has weighed in on – like depression or self-esteem or self-sabotage – or something no one talks about – like the psychology behind the pathology of power – when we turn the Trilogical lens on the topic, you hear a perspective you’ve never heard before. And it lands. It feels right. It just “makes sense,” as many of you writing to me have confirmed.
And we’ll be doing that kind of analysis, live, with Dr. Pacheco and I taking your calls and emails and answering your concerns personally. Can you imagine how impactful that will be? So, I’d like to keep you informed about that. We’re projecting our first show to be on Mar. 10 at 10 a.m. ET (NY time) on BBS Radio – bbsradio.com
But do get on my mailing list to stay informed: rich@richjonesvoice.com. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Now, today, liberty and our free will. You know, we in the western world have this idea that we’re really free, and that we’re also really quite socially evolved. We have recycling programs in place, we’re advanced in our social programs. And we also think that we’re super tolerant and welcoming of all other points of view and cultural traiditons. Well, certainly we have that idea in Canada. We pride ourselves on our open-mindedness. But underneath our politically correct external persona, there is a high degree of censorship and intransigence. And all that means we’re not really so accepting after all of ideas and philosophies that stray from what we perceive as our superior beliefs and ways of doing things. Go against that, and you’ll find you’re not really free to give that opinion.
Sofie Bergqvist is a Swedish educator and lecturer and translator of a number of Norberto Keppe’s books, and she joins me today.
Click here to listen to this episode.
Tags: Norberto Keppe, Analytical Trilogy, free will, psychology and psychotherapy