Determined

A Science of Life Without Free Will

By: Robert M. Sapolsky

Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith

The instant New York Times bestseller

“Excellent…Outstanding for its breadth of research, the liveliness of the writing, and the depth of humanity it conveys.” – Wall Street Journal

One of our great behavioral scientists, the bestselling author of Behave, plumbs the depths of the science and philosophy of decision-making to mount a devastating case against free will, an argument with profound consequences

Robert Sapolsky’s Behave, his now classic account of why humans do good and why they do bad, pointed toward an unsettling conclusion: We may not grasp the precise marriage of nature and nurture that creates the physics and chemistry at the base of human behavior, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Now, in Determined, Sapolsky takes his argument all the way, mounting a brilliant (and in his inimitable way, delightful) full-frontal assault on the pleasant fantasy that there is some separate self telling our biology what to do.

Determined offers a marvelous synthesis of what we know about how consciousness works—the tight weave between reason and emotion and between stimulus and response in the moment and over a life. One by one, Sapolsky tackles all the major arguments for free will and takes them out, cutting a path through the thickets of chaos and complexity science and quantum physics, as well as touching ground on some of the wilder shores of philosophy. He shows us that the history of medicine is in no small part the history of learning that fewer and fewer things are somebody’s “fault”; for example, for centuries we thought seizures were a sign of demonic possession.

Yet, as he acknowledges, it’s very hard, and at times impossible, to uncouple from our zeal to judge others and to judge ourselves. Sapolsky applies the new understanding of life beyond free will to some of our most essential questions around punishment, morality, and living well together. By the end, Sapolsky argues that while living our daily lives recognizing that we have no free will is going to be monumentally difficult, doing so is not going to result in anarchy, pointlessness, and existential malaise. Instead, it will make for a much more humane world.


*This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF containing Tables, Charts, Diagrams, and Footnotes from the book.

Critic reviews

“Excellent . . . Outstanding for its breadth of research, the liveliness of the writing, and the depth of humanity it conveys.” –Wall Street Journal

“Sapolsky’s decades of experience studying the effects of the interplay of genes and the environment on behavior shine brightly . . . He provides compelling examples that bad luck compounds . . . convincingly argues against claims that chaos theory, emergent phenomena, or the indeterminism offered by quantum mechanics provide the gap required for free will to exist.” —Science

“The behavioural scientist engagingly lays out the reasons why our every action is predetermined—and why we shouldn’t despair about it . . . Determined is a bravura performance, well worth reading for the pleasure of Sapolsky’s deeply informed company . . . Absorbing and compassionate.” —The Guardian

“Few people understand the human brain as well as renowned neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Witty and engaging, Determined is also a goldmine of fascinating information (most of it accessible even to those of us who aren’t scientifically literate) about neuroscience; philosophy; chaos theory; emergent complexity; quantum indeterminacy; evolving knowledge of the causes of epilepsy, schizophrenia, and autism; and, of course, the impact of nature and nurture on decision-making.” —Psychology Today

“Determined is a sustained attempt at demonstrating that the decisions we make every day are products of complex factors of which we’re not in charge . . . This is an amiable, surprisingly accessible and at times a persuasive book—a paean to empathy and tolerance that yearns for a world in which societies eventually realize that retribution is futile and wrong . . . [Sapolsky] can be pleased with the knowledge that what he’s written is stimulating to read, even for those who doubt his conclusions.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Sapolsky presents in his inimitable style a cogent argument explaining that free will is an illusion . . . Sapolsky tackles many complicated facets of this demanding subject with aplomb, making difficult material accessible. His engaging style and silly humor make learning fun . . . The debate is essential.” —Booklist

“A neuroscientific takedown of the notion that free will guides us . . . [Sapolsky] is fearless in taking on a matter that is fraught with a long history of debate and division, and he covers a wide variety of disciplines, from philosophy to ethics and law, with admirable clarity . . . Sure to stir controversy, which, to judge by this long but lucid exposition, the author is perfectly willing to court.” —Kirkus (starred review)

Terrible narrator, great book.

The narrator is so bad that it makes it hard to follow the content, but if you can get past that, the content of the book itself is excellent. I may have to buy a physical copy of the book and re-read it.

Robert had no choice in authoring this!

As a long time fan of Sam Harris I always respect the great capacities of the human mind to flourish and instruct those few people who can accept truth. We know there a sad great many who will not. Read and absorb this material for yourself. Know that, even though Robert had no choice in writing this, we are all very happy that he did! May you reap some ridiculous rewards.

Thought-provoking

This is an important book by a writer and thinker who was bestowed with the gift of explaining difficult concepts in an understandable way. I will be thinking on this one for a long time.

Difficult but thought-provoking

First off, the narrator does a great job dealing with a lot of highly detailed scientific information. I didn’t particularly enjoy trying to wrap my brain around all of the acronyms, but I have to give him credit for maintaining an energetic tone. As for the book itself, I had a hard time with Sapolsky’s theory about free will; however, he does a nice job in the last chapters parsing out the problems his ideas would face and how we as a society need to view the world. I appreciate his tone and his willingness to deal with the counterarguments. I won’t say I understood everything, but I will say it makes me think.

Awesome

This book is a must read for anyone willing to think outside the box. Awesome.

A must read

This book gives you a great perspective on the nature of free will, privilege, crime and how the humanity progresses from more to less cruelty and hatred. Brilliant.

Deep and challenging

If you start and then finish this book, it was inevitable. Enjoy the new perspectives!

Profound Rumblings…

What does one lose upon acknowledging the absence of free agency? Nothing beyond undue destructive behavior, pettiness and judgement.
The gain? A richer, more fulfilling life experience.
As I am free, so are those around me.

a must read/listen

this book helped me understand how I was conditioned to be me... in like wise manner I must learn to be conscious of others conditions and keep any judgment that may be deemed unjust.

So good

Absolutely brilliant and convincing book while maintaining a clear and at times disarmingly funny tone.