All Videos — April 13, 2011

Evolution Created Free Will

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For billions of years on this planet, there was life but no free will. The difference is not in physics—which has remained the same—but is ultimately in biology, specifically evolutionary biology.

The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Was the Universe “timeless” before the Big Bang?

Here in our Universe, time passes at a fixed rate for all observers: one second-per-second. Before the Big Bang, things were very different.

A photograph of an ancient manuscript with Greek text, displayed on a plain background with abstract purple lines drawn around the edges.

Big Think Books

From Gnosticism to Gospel Manga: 6 books to help you unpack the Bible and its history

Experts and Big Think writers recommend their favorite reads for diving deeper into the history and perspectives found in the Book of Books.

Starts With A Bang

A quantum miracle enabled the formation of neutral atoms

If it weren’t for the intricate rules of quantum physics, we wouldn’t have formed neutral atoms “only” ~380,000 years after the Big Bang.

A failure of a paper airplane constructed from crumpled paper.

The Learning Curve

How to find success with the 4 conditions of “intelligent failure”

“It is natural to want to avoid failure. But when we avoid failure, we also avoid discovery and accomplishment.”

A frayed rope descends from above and is attached to the top of a blue Earth, symbolizing fragility or tension.

Mini Philosophy

Fringe or frontier: Is our current scientific paradigm still the best fit?

A paradigm should be elastic enough to accommodate new data and broad enough to explain the world. For Rupert Sheldake, ours does neither.

Up Next

Surprising Science

Why Quantum Physics Ends the Free Will Debate

Einstein believed that free will was just an illusion, and that awareness of this lack kept him from taking himself and others too seriously. But Einstein was plain wrong, says Dr. Kaku.