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Warburton, and me, David Edmonds.
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Self control is an essential quality for everyone.
There's evidence that people who are good at self control are good, are successful at life.
Philosophically, the issue of self control plays into the free will debate.
If we can't control ourselves, in what sense are we free?
Pat Churchland is a philosopher famous for incorporating into her writings and into her ideas developments in neuroscience.
She's happy to call herself a neurophilosopher.
Appetite whetted, can't control yourself any longer?
Unable to defer gratification.
Here she is.
Pat Churchland, welcome to philosophy bites.
Oh, it's super to be here.
I love being in London.
The topic we're going to focus on is neuroscience and self control.
What do you understand by self control?
Usually as a good working definition, we have sort of four things in mind, that if someone or an animal can display deferred gratification, that is, deferring small value now for something greater later, if they can maintain a goal despite distraction, if they can suppress impulses that are inappropriate.