Responsibility Without Free Will
In this conversation with Karoline Klerk [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karoline-klerk-3084364b/en?originalSubdomain=se] the discussion begins from the definition of responsibility itself, moving beyond blame and punishment toward a layered understanding. Responsibility is explored as a capacity in relation to oneself, to others and the environment, and to future generations, forming an interconnected structure rather than a single moral claim.
The dialogue then contrasts different interpretations of responsibility, from a care-based and relational view to a more secular and institutional framing grounded in social function. From here the conversation moves into conditioning, where behavior is shaped by genetics, learning, culture, and language, challenging the idea of free will as a necessary foundation.
This leads to a central tension: if human actions emerge from prior causes, what remains of responsibility. Instead of resolving this tension, the conversation reframes responsibility as something that persists without relying on metaphysical assumptions or true agency.
The discussion also extends into a critique of ideologies, including religion, nationalism, and political systems, which are described as lacking responsibility toward others, the environment, and future consequences. In contrast, responsibility is linked to the capacity to question, to remain open, and to resist fixed frameworks.
By the end the conversation converges on three layers of responsibility: responsibility toward oneself, toward others and the environment, and toward systems and future outcomes. Within this structure, responsibility is not grounded in free will but remains as a functional and unavoidable dimension of human life.References:
* Libet (1983) – Unconscious cerebral initiative and voluntary action [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6640273/]
* Delshad Tehrani (2026) – Responsibility Without Free Will [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19480217]
Episodes related to the two-volume Neurophilosophy [https://delshad.me/en/podcasts/zharfa/two-volume-neurophilosophy/]:
* The Dance of Will on the Stage of Illusion [https://delshad.me/fa/%da%98%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%a7/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c/%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%b0%d9%87%d9%86%db%8c-%d9%82%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84/%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%87%d9%85-%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%db%8c-%d8%a2%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af/]
* Responsibility at the Institutional Level [https://delshad.me/fa/%DA%98%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%A7/%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%B2%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A6%DB%8C/%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%B2%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A6%DB%8C-%D9%82%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%AA-%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%85/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A6%D9%88%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B3%D8%B7%D8%AD-%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF/]
Figures mentioned in this episode:
* Karl Popper [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Popper]
* Alan Watts [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Watts]
* Benjamin Libet [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Libet]
Key terms in this episode:
* Prefrontal cortex [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefrontal_cortex]
* Bottom-Up/Top-Down mechanisms [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3072218/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3072218/]
Clarification: In several Wisdorise episodes, I have used the term “metaphysics [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics]” not in the academic philosophical sense concerned with questions of mind, causality, time, identity, or the structure of reality, but rather in reference to transcendent and non-empirical systems of meaning and existence, including religious cosmologies, sacred narratives, divine moral authority, and models of consciousness assumed to exist beyond biological and neural processes. A more accurate description of my approach would perhaps be “post-metaphysical,” meaning that while recognizing the historical and cultural role of metaphysical systems, I suggest moving toward frameworks grounded more directly in neuroscience, cognitive science, and human experience.
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