Matt Dillahunty VS Stephen Woodford on Compatibilism
Video Statistics and Information
Channel: Rationality Rules
Views: 189,411
Rating: 4.9230771 out of 5
Keywords: matt dillahunty, dillahunty, dillahunty debate, matt dillahunty debate, free will debate, compatibilism, compatibilism debate, sam harris free will, daniel dennet free will, rationality rules
Id: lnQ5Eg_PDsU
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 77min 12sec (4632 seconds)
Published: Mon Mar 12 2018
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Harris is mentioned a lot as well as the semantic strategies of the discussion of free will.
I think it helped me get on board with Woodford seeing as he had a good discussion with Dillahunty live, never thinking he would get the chance but pulling it off when the opportunity came. He seems young and inexperienced but at the same time trained, good communication, all the while being especially relatable to a younger audience, that’s awesome as far as I’m concerned.
I don't really understand the argument for determinism.
They seem to dive into strange scenarios with a guy with a gun pointed at you.
If you have free will. You still have it when someone threatens you with a gun. If you don't have free will, then you don't have it if someone threatens you with a gun.
I don't understand any argument where a guy threatening you with a gun would change if you have free will or not.
This was very good. I've had the general feeling over the last decade that atheism is aging, in that I see mostly the same people arguing for atheism as I did 10+ years ago. And some people, like Dawkins and Dennett, have all but disappeared due either to age or disinterest. It's refreshing to see a younger, level-headed person like Stephen Woodward enter the scene. I think people like him will be important for keeping younger people involved in the discussion, and not having an aversion to it because they view the most vocal proponents of atheism to be "old farts."
I hope we keep seeing Woodford, because his calm demeanor and clear thinking is valuable. These traits are what I most value in Harris, and it's refreshing to see these traits reflected in a much younger spokesman.
This was also a productive conversation, as Woodford appears to convince Matt that the term "compatibilist" or "compatibilism" may be doing more harm than good. This was a big concession on Matt's part, and I am happy that he conceded that point. I have always loved Matt, and his influence on me via The Atheist Experience can't be overstated. He's got a hot head sometimes, which is one trait I think works against him sometimes, but his reasoning and communication/debating skills have always been razor sharp. I have always parted ways with Matt regarding Free Will, because I have found Harris' position to be much more convincing and, like Harris and Woodford, thought Matt and Dennett were just missing the point entirely. I never understood why they viewed the existence of other humans possibly restraining another against their will as being somehow relevant in the discussion of Free Will.
It will be interesting to see how Matt approaches future discussions regarding Free Will, and if he indeed will drop the "compatibilist" moniker. This was a productive conversation. Kudos to Stephen here.