Determined
by Robert M. Sapolsky
Sapolsky's argument that free will does not exist: every choice is the product of biology and environment all the way down, and what that should mean for blame, praise and justice. Rigorous, funny and unsettling.
Read it if…
you want the strongest scientific case against free will and its moral implications.
See the book →
Skip it if…
you want practical self-help; this will undermine the premise.
Try instead: The Tell-Tale Brain →
Three things you will actually use
- Causes go all the way down.
- Blame makes less sense than we think.
- Compassion follows determinism.
Do this first
Read the chapters on how to live without free will before deciding you disagree.
Our verdict
Rigorous and unsettling.
See the book →
Compare with other Mindset books
Phantoms in the Brain
V. S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee · Mindset
Accessible classic.
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