Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will

One of our greatest behavioral scientists and best-selling author of Behave plunges into the depths of the science and philosophy of decision-making to develop a devastating argument against free will.

Robert Sapolsky's Behave is the now classic explanation of why humans do good and why we do evil: we may not grasp the precise link between nature and nurture that creates the physics and chemistry that underlies human behavior, but that does not But that does not mean it does not exist. Now, in Determined, Sapolsky makes his point in full force, launching a brilliant (and his uniquely entertaining) all-out attack on the hedonistic illusion that there is a separate self that tells our biology what to do.

Determined brilliantly integrates what we know about the workings of consciousness-the tight interweaving between reason and emotion, stimulus and response, across moments and lives. Sapolsky takes each of the major debates about free will, cutting through the thickets of chaos science, complex systems science, and quantum physics, and touching the bleak shores of philosophy. For centuries, for example, seizures have been considered a sign of demonic possession.

But, as Sapolsky acknowledges, it is very difficult, and sometimes impossible, to free oneself from the zeal to judge others and judge oneself. Sapolsky applies his new understanding of life beyond free will to some of the most essential issues surrounding punishment, morality, and living well together. Finally, Sapolsky argues that while it is tremendously difficult to go about our daily lives recognizing that we have no free will, doing so does not lead to anarchy, meaninglessness, or existential malaise. Rather, it makes for a more humane world.