Spinoza, Einstein, and the Illusion of Free Will (Avshalom Elitzur)
Avshalom Elitzur on Spinoza's denial of free will, Einstein's love for him, and the paradox of believing in political freedom while doubting metaphysical free will.
Source Information
- Speaker: Avshalom Elitzur
- Format: YouTube video (excerpt below is a short clip from a longer talk)
- URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOrmfq2nRRQ
- Theme: Free will, determinism, philosophy of mind
Excerpt (paraphrased)
Einstein, though not a poet, wrote a poem in German at the age of 36 dedicated to the thinker he loved most: Spinoza. Spinoza held that there is no freedom of choice — free will is only an illusion. If a falling stone could think, it would think it wants to fall; but we know it falls because it has to. Once biology and neurophysiology are advanced enough, every decision a person believes they are making freely will be predictable. You are bound to do what you do, even when it feels like a choice.
Suppose someone tries to refute this by banging their head against a wall to “prove” free will. Spinoza would reply: I know your childhood, I know the state of your neurons, I know you are rebellious enough to do the opposite of whatever you hear — so you had to do that. We are inside a straitjacket and mistake it for freedom of choice.
The paradox: Einstein loved Spinoza, yet believed in democratic freedom and fought for people’s rights to do as they wished — even though, deep down, he did not believe such metaphysical freedom existed.
Atomic Notes
- [[Free Will Is an Illusion (Spinoza)]]
- [[A Thinking Falling Stone Would Believe It Chose to Fall]]
- [[Political Freedom Can Coexist With Determinism]]
Source: YouTube — Avshalom Elitzur (the excerpt above covers a portion of the full video)