Raoul Martinez on The Myth of Responsibility

Are we wholly responsible for our actions? We don’t choose our brains, our genetic inheritance, our circumstances, our milieu – so how much control do we really have over our lives? Philosopher Raoul Martinez argues that no one is truly blameworthy. Our most visionary scientists, psychologists and philosophers have agreed that we have far less free will than we think, and yet most of society’s systems are structured around the opposite principle – that we are all on a level playing field, and we all get what we deserve.

Voice: Raoul Martinez
Animator: Joe Bichard
Sound effects: Skillbard Editor and Producer: Abi Stephenson

Extracted from a free talk given at the RSA in London, 2016. Watch the edited talk here: or listen to the full podcast.

Big Ideas   Human Rights   Philosophy   Politics   Social Issues
Rate this video 
Human Rights
Trending Videos
REVEALED: Trump & Elon Musk's Brutal Secret
12 min - "Never has class war in the modern era been so blatantly and crudely waged." - George MonbiotJoin the Future of Journalism ► https://www.patreon.com/DoubleDownNews  
How Musk Empire Benefits as He Slashes Fed. Gov't; Trump Cryptocurrency Schemes: NYT's Eric Lipton
15 min - How is Elon Musk personally benefiting from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency? The agency, known as DOGE, is tasked with slashing "trillions" of dollars in federal...
How Elon Hijacked the Government
18 min - Elon Musk now has access to some of the most sensitive government data imaginable—your Social Security, tax records, Medicare details, and even Treasury payments. With the full backing of the...
How the U.S. Uses ‘Aid’ as Soft Power to Dominate the World w/ Matt Kennard
54 min - For decades, U.S. imperialism has operated not just through military force but through a vast system of economic coercion, media manipulation, and covert operations. The World Bank, IMF, and USAID...
7 Ways to Cut TRILLIONS in Wasteful Government Spending
5 min - DOGE’s supposed goal is to identify $2 trillion in savings and reduce the size of government—and the deficit—by slashing federal waste and redundancy. (It’s been tried before, with limited...
We Found Corporate America’s Biggest Enemy
14 min - Billionaire CEOs and political donors want to get Lina Khan fired. As chair of the FTC, she’s taken on Amazon, Kroger, Microsoft, Meta, Airbnb, and more. She’s challenging powerful corporations...
American Coup: Wilmington 1898 (2025)
113 min - Stoking fears of “Negro Rule,” self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington, North Carolina’s...
Trending Articles
Rediscovering Our Sacred Wholeness
Films about Localization - the Solution to Globalization and Destructive, Infinite-Growth Economics
Subscribe for $5/mo to Watch over 50 Patron-Exclusive Films
Subscribe $5/mo View All Patron Films

 

Your support keeps us ad-free and financially independent

Our 10,000+ video & article library is 99% free, ad-free, and entirely community-funded thanks to our patron subscribers!


Want to donate extra? You can subscribe and donate an extra $5/mo or more.