Did you CHOOSE to watch this TEDx Talk today? Think carefully about your answer. It’s a question religious leaders, scientists, and philosophers have debated for centuries: does free will exist? And if it doesn’t, are we even responsible for our actions? In this mind-blowing talk (neuroscience pun intended), Sukumar Vijayaraghavan explains what the research indicates and how that answer could affect our lives, our laws, and how we operate in the world. Sukumar Vijayaraghavan is a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. His research on neurotransmitters could one day help explain how the brain responds to drugs of abuse and also the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's disease. He is deeply interested in neuroscience research affects society, law, and ethics. He has a Ph.D in Plant Biochemistry and in his spare time, he moonlights as a standup comic. He’s performed locally and – in the age of zoom – internationally. He hopes to be good at it someday. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx