What's the point about free will?

Following up on this post. Just listening to the first few minutes where Harris discusses his previous encounter with Dennett on the topic when things got uncivil, to say the least. Harris wonders if dialog can ever really happen, since we often end up vociferously and often disingenuously defending our steadfast positions instead of mutually learning from each other. I must admit that's pretty much how I've come to view dialog these days unless its within a mutually shared worldview. Even then it can be a challenge.


After listening to about 20 minutes I must say, what's the fucking point? All this philosophical gibberish is useless to the dire political circumstances under which most people live in this world. And such discussion does absolutely nothing to ameliorate such conditions, much less even address them. What does such fine philosophical parsing have to do with anything other than maintaining one's position and standing in an intellectually effete profession?