Tom Harris

Sarah

Alright, welcome, Tom! Weird being on the other side of the mic?

Tom Harris

Totally is — but I guess it's only fair that I get to be the victim for once.

Sarah

Perfect! Viewers know you as the voice behind Compass, but they don't really know you. Ready to spill the predestined beans?

Tom Harris

Beans incoming — though technically they were shelled at the Big Bang.

Sarah

I can already tell this is going to be...fun! Okay, let's rewind. Little-kid Tom in Oregon — what shaped the philosophical tornado we see today?

Tom Harris

Picture an eight-year-old lining up rocks by quartz content, equally fascinated by erosion and the fact that I couldn't not line them up, if you know what I mean. Mom thought it was cute; I thought it meant gravity had opinions.

Sarah

There's a rumor you were kicked out of karate class for over-analyzing the katas.

Tom Harris

That's right, I got kicked out of karate class for over-analyzing the katas. I asked Sensei if our punches were choices or Newtonian inevitabilities. He suggested I 'inevitably' take up chess instead. So I did — for exactly three weeks, until I realized the pawns had more agency than I did.

Sarah

That's brutal. Fast-forward to college. You've called those years "cosmically empty but educational." What did that look like?

Tom Harris

Lots of instant ramen at ungodly hours, reading Camus between econ lectures, and realizing each messy dorm argument was the only argument that could have happened. My roommate thought I needed sleep. I thought I needed a better universe.

Sarah

Any particular "aha" moment?

Tom Harris

Freshman-year philosophy seminar. Professor asked if we could have chosen differently in the trolley problem. I asked if the trolley could have chosen not to exist, and he just sighed.

Sarah

Classic. Did the existential weight ever get too heavy?

Tom Harris

Totally. There were nights I'd stare at the ceiling fan wondering if even its squeak frequency was predetermined. Spoiler: physics says yes.

Sarah

Then you got into exercise. How did kettlebells become philosophy tools?

Tom Harris

Swinging 24 kg of iron is the perfect metaphor: you set it in motion, physics does the rest, and you just hang on for the arc. My "decision" to work out was nothing more than dopamine meeting cabin fever in a dorm basement gym.

Sarah

Did it help with the dread?

Tom Harris

It converted dread into quadricep soreness, which is easier to explain at parties.

Sarah

Meditation came next. Be honest — first session?

Tom Harris

I drooled on the cushion and called it "non-dual awareness." The app said, "Notice thoughts." I noticed I wanted nachos.

Sarah

When did the practice click?

Tom Harris

The day I realized thoughts appear before I "think" them. Meditation didn't give me control — it exposed that the control panel isn't even plugged in.

Sarah

You cite neuroscience a lot. Any single study that broke the camel's back?

Tom Harris

Libet's readiness-potential experiments were gateway data. Learning that my brain logs the decision milliseconds before consciousness gets the memo — it's like my Gmail auto-replied "Sure, kale smoothie" before I opened the thread.

Sarah

Some critics say that gap is too small to be philosophically relevant.

Tom Harris

Tell that to the bullet train engineer — milliseconds matter.

Sarah

Was there a definitive "no-free-will" moment?

Tom Harris

There was one specific time where I was waiting for a latte. I watched the barista, thought "I could just bail," and felt the neural gears click: nope, staying. The latte was predestined foam.

Sarah

Did that feel liberating or horrifying?

Tom Harris

Honestly? Like removing a tight shoe. Sudden relief, slight awkwardness, and the realization my sock has holes.

Sarah

Uhm, okay...upsides. How has dropping free will helped day-to-day?

Tom Harris

Zero self-loathing when I binge-watch reality TV and infinite patience when someone cuts me off — clearly their neurons misfired on schedule. Life feels like a documentary I get front-row seats to, popcorn included.

Sarah

Critics say determinism breeds passivity.

Tom Harris

Water flows downhill *fast*. Acceptance doesn't equal inaction — it's just action without the ego confetti cannon.

Sarah

That's good! Rapid-fire. Favorite deterministic movie?

Tom Harris

Groundhog Day — same day, no choices, comedic enlightenment.

Sarah

Biggest myth about determinism?

Tom Harris

That it's emotionally cold. I find it warms compassion — everyone's just physics doing its best cosplay of people.

Sarah

Any regrets?

Tom Harris

Impossible by definition, but missing missing that Uber investment stings in a purely observational sense.

Sarah

We did it! Thanks, Tom — this was fun.

Tom Harris

Absolutely, thanks so much for playing along, Sarah!