The debate around free will has been raging for millennia and, frankly, isn’t likely to be settled any time soon. But, as this short documentary from BBC Reel demonstrates, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a debate worth having. By interviewing leading thinkers across neuroscience, physics and moral philosophy, the UK journalist Melissa Hogenboom investigates where the intersecting debates over free will currently stand. The film surveys some of the most contentious controversies surrounding free will – from the legacy of the ‘Libet experiment’ to the concept of moral responsibility – to provide a fascinating dive into our current understanding of how and why we make the decisions we make, and what that should mean for how we understand our world.
Video by BBC Reel
Directors: Melissa Hogenboom, Pierangelo Pirak
video
Physics
Groundbreaking visualisations show how the world of the nucleus gives rise to our own
10 minutes
video
Earth science and climate
There’s a ‘climate bomb’ ticking beneath the Arctic ice. How can we prepare?
8 minutes
video
Political philosophy
The radical activist couple who fought for social change in the courtroom
21 minutes
video
Physics
To change the way you see the Moon, view it from the Sun’s perspective
5 minutes
video
Technology and the self
A haunting scene from ‘Minority Report’ inspires a voyage into time and memory
7 minutes
video
Family life
The stream-of-consciousness thoughts and memories that emerge while cooking a meal
5 minutes
video
Ecology and environmental sciences
GPS tracking reveals stunning insights into the patterns of migratory birds
6 minutes
video
Human rights and justice
Can providing humanitarian aid be illegal? A troubling case from the US-Mexico border
17 minutes
video
Space exploration
The rarely told story of the fruit flies, primates and canines that preceded us in space
12 minutes