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No Freewill, No Purpose, No God? – How Society Makes Us Feel Lost In Life | Robert Sapolsky

Tom Bilyeu | September 10, 2025



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I had a super compelling conversation with the legendary biologist Robert Sapolsky to challenge the concept of free will and pull together what can be done with these ideas when you feel lazy and lack purpose or direction.

We dive into the unsettling reality that everything we perceive may just be a simulation, and how evolution has optimized us for survival, not accuracy. But don’t despair! Even without god or free will, we discuss how you can still massively improve your life.

We explore the societal implications of free will being an illusion and why acting as if it exists could be beneficial for your mental health. Don’t miss this riveting conversation that will challenge your perspective and empower you to leverage your biology for self-improvement.
Renowned biologist Robert Sapolsky, presents a compelling argument that free will is an illusion that is deeply rooted in our biology. His ground-breaking insights, as detailed in his book “Determined,” challenge conventional wisdom and reshape our understanding of human behavior, asserting that we are in fact products of our biology, not the autonomous agents of free will you believe yourself to be.

If you’re on the edge of your seat wanting more, check out Robert Sapolsky’s latest book, Determined, A Life Without Free Will: https://www.amazon.com/Determined-Science-Life-without-Free/dp/0525560971

Chapter Markers:
[00:00] Introductions to No Free Will
[00:30] Misconception of Change
[17:47] Know Your Machine-ness
[26:42] Leveraging Biology & Self-Esteem
[40:17] Don’t Get Trapped By Illusion
[52:00] Unprovoked Violence
[1:02:50] The Biology of Monogamy
[1:11:57] Trapped By Your Biology
[1:32:33] Too Many Dopamine Highs
[1:46:00] Societal Isolation

Thought-Provoking Insights From Robert Sapolsky:

“Where people get into trouble is where change has occurred they conclude thus, I chose to change.”

“Look at a disease of people who are not able to do self-deception and who are not able to rationalize away reality, and what that is, is clinical depression. These are people who are pathologically prone to seeing the world the way it is.”

“People will work harder if they have good self-esteem. People will be able to put their shortcomings into proper perspective and realize that something bad is bad, but it’s not their entire world.”

“The issue isn’t that testosterone makes aggression more likely and that that’s the problem. The problem is that we hand out status for aggression so readily.”

“If you’ve got a system that resets that easily, by definition, whatever was an amazing wonderful surprise yesterday is going to feel like something you’re entitled to today, and it’s going to feel insufficient tomorrow, and that’s the price of perpetual hunger…”

Follow Robert Sapolsky:
Website: http://www.robertsapolskyrocks.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.sapolsky/

Follow Me, Tom Bilyeu:
Website: https://impacttheoryuniversity.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomBilyeu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tombilyeu/

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Written by Tom Bilyeu

Comments

This post currently has 45 comments.

  3. @sandramarenholz8778

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    Your arrogance is astounding. What makes you think you have the answers to life? Who gives a damn about free will, live your life, surround yourself with things that make you feel good. Help others less fortunate than yourself, help animals who have no voice. It’s that simple, STOP trying to over explain

  4. @IC-XC_NIKA

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    Sapolsky makes moral judgments on some things, like its wrong to hate, to feel entitled, or how criminals are unjustly punished. But if there is no free will then how can there be any moral evaluation at all or anything that is just or unjust? Does he address this in the book?

  5. @noobalarm9948

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    Wel I think consciousness has an effect on reality. And sinse we don't understand anything about consciousness I don't think its wise to remove all the magic from reality.

  11. @Ray-xc5im

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    I don't really see why the point "Women get attracted by their potential partner's status" is stated almost like a biological fact. Of course if a culture was making women dependent financially of their husbands for thousands of years, it would be a logical pattern to search for a man who has money. It doesn't necessary mean we are biologically determined to be attracted by the status, it might be a social construct. For example, if in 200-300 years men and women will be absolutely equal, by which I mean there will be no "pink is for girls, blue is for boys" (I'm exaggerating) and there will be no dependency in a husband's wealth, if women won't need to spend lots of time doing the housework etc… What does indicate that the majority of females would care about the wealth of their partner and what is biologically determined in it? Why would be a tendency?

    I should specify, I'm asking out of curiosity mostly. If I do have some factors that I'm not aware of and that cause me to prefer one mate to another, it's fine by me. But I personally care about the wealth only out of logic and out of my socialization, for example, I need to be sure that my husband will provide our family with money if I will be taking care of our child. Besides that, when a male attracts me (I mean, deeply), the least thing I care is his salary or his status. I just don't see a strong dependency of my preferences and a male's status, at all. And if I ask my female friends about it, the majority gives me the same answer.

  13. @Mr.BVogel

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    Sapolsky’s and Harris’ philosophy is in direct contradiction with itself.

    -Explicitly made his stance as a hard causal determinist.
    -Also preaches that your choices matter, and the future is not all written, so don’t be a fatalist. So let’s work to change the world for the better.
    *How can both be true??*

    Easy thought experiment:
    1) “Sapolsky.. so my past actions were determined to be that way and it’s impossible to have done otherwise?” S: Yes
    2) “Because of the determined causal chain? There is no possible divergence? What was to be was to be?” S: Yes
    3) “So the future is also written and it doesn’t matter what I do now?” S: No, your choices matter. Don’t believe in fatalism
    4) “I didn’t mention fatalism. But you said everything is determined on a hard causal chain. Why does the action to happen 10 seconds from now not follow the laws of being in line with the determined causal chain already in motion?” S: _
    5) “So the future must be determined already. If not, you’re breaking your own chain of causality theory which you use to describe the nature of reality?
    ———
    -So.. the FUTURE 10 seconds from now, is not written for you? but wait for it.. 10 seconds have now passed. Now that same moment is allowed to be called purely determined and was written and couldn’t have been any other way?.. because it’s in the past tense?? How convenient.

    -So WHAT could have possible been different? Oh wait, the phenomena we call the present tense, in which what you choose to do with some free will, helps alter the path of potential future.

    You must concede that 100% determinism is not true, and we can make free will choices to alter the potential future.
    OR that determinism is hard truth, and the future is 100% written on that causal chain based on the laws.

  20. @GeneWhiteman

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    Funny you are exercising your free will right now you're choosing to listen to this man because you have the free well to listen to what he has to say as opposed to not listen to what he has to say so therefore you have the free will to choose so therefore you do have free will and you are simply proving that you have pretty well by trying to prove that you don't

  27. @neuhausfm

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    You need to have control to create something like a city, a musical composition or a car. Our deterministic self gives us control to do these things. We are the authors. Not the big bang , a god or a demon.

  28. @thearmchairmystic

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    This is wrong. Completely bullshit. Study near death experiences. Succinctly put, I had a vision/OBE where my soul was taken out of my body to a higher plane outside the entire physical universe (which is just one plane itself)… and I saw one of the Seraphim angels. There is free will and the choice is to choose Jesus Christ. Try to understand the ENTIRE physical universe as a consciousness density plane… whatever goes on inside of it is endemic to the structure and nature of it, but there are higher planes with higher beings.

  30. @eamonbutler6369

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    Very interesting. But surely the development of organised wars coincides with amassing of tribal groups under a more powerful tribe and leader. So by this happening societies necessarily become more organised and so conflict becomes more organised. It is the change from a more primitive anarchistic tribal system to a a larger more organised one with a more identifiable elite who can willingly sacrifice its minions, underclass with impunity, in order to maintain its power. The only difference between hunter gatherer tribal chiefs and later ones in larger agricultural societies is that the tribal chiefs take personal risk and the later ones don’t.

  33. @PIANOPICTURES

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    Observing life I was able to see the interconnectivity of everything and the causality of everything, so the idea of the lack of free will became quite very present. However I can't stop feeling that something wrong here, something still missing.

  34. @B.Wilson-x6l

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    There can never be a debate about free will. Without free will everyone is just saying and believing what they have been programmed to believe from the beginning of rigid causality. Serial killers are just robots unable to ever alter their behavior. Humans never invented science it was forced upon them. Everyone understands this because they have freewill and understand simple and irrefutable logic.

  39. @Gary.pickleball

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    did he really start with the premise that there is no god? Doesn't he believe that if he were to have a debate about the existence of God with one of the many believers who are Nobel prize winners/experts/high IQ people that at least that person would hold their own with him in a debate?

  40. @deitydelgado1

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    you mention oct 7h, yet there was no actual evidence, in fact, evidence that it was the idf doing their hannible thing, and no mention of the horrific bombing of toddlers, now at 60,000, so, your bias shows in your questions, and stupid video game career

  41. @deathrides4756

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    For me, these arguments are neccesary if you are truly seeking to live without illusions. It is a blunt fact that sometimes the truth is not easy to bear, but I for one would much rather try to understand existence as wholly as possible.

  42. @sometimesicuss6696

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    Personally, I like the word, "indemnity" more than "entitlement"… I suppose indemnity is perhaps a sort of entitlement, or a privilege, but I digress.
    I also hear you say, "Punish", again, there are better words! Bring to justice.

  44. @MorganUnfreeman

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    These are the worst arguments I’ve ever heard. This is how Jews destroy first world nation with liberal emotional nonsensical arguments. What other factors are involved with the how more often a person will receive parole depending on when the judge ate lunch. I’d like to know which people were parole and what their crimes were versus the ones that didn’t make parole. None of this makes sense.Just because a person is born a psychotic killer doesn’t mean that they have the right to stick around society because they can’t help themselves. It’s natural to dispose of somebody that goes around creating problems for everybody else.

  45. @MorganUnfreeman

    September 10, 2025 at 1:39 pm

    This is very Jewish backwards thinking. If you are a criminal, then you have to be held responsible to keep you from victimizing people that are not criminals. There’s a huge difference between hitting the lottery because you bought a three dollar scratch off and winning $1 million and actually going out working dealing with stress every day to earn $1 million.I am a fairly decent earner for a blue-collar worker and I endure stress every single day to make sure my paychecks are bigger. I earned that whether I was handed the genetics to work this much or not.

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