Determined

A Science of Life Without Free Will

By: Robert M. Sapolsky

Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith

Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Robert M. Sapolsky (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“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.”—Most Anticipated Fall Books, San Francisco Chronicle

Neurobiologist Turned Hubristic Ideologue

Interesting coverage of the critical issue of personal responsibility in society. Some classic citations of scientific studies (e.g., Phineas Gage) but many new ones of which I was unaware. For example, I was pleased to learn that voluntary exercise might be increasing my adult mental plasticity. Of course, that research was countered by a former student of the author. (Of course, I am curious how my decision to exercise could be “voluntary” or the student could be acknowledged as “great” given we have no Free Will and are merely the product of our random genetic make-up and our societal environment of which we have no control.)

Nonetheless, I do recommend the book, but caution readers to be careful of the author’s hubris and dismissiveness of other views. (In fairness, in his mind, we can not blame of praise him: he had no choice but to write this book in such a way!)

Okay, so it’s weird but hear me out

Listen, you’re not going to love every minute of reading it. But if you walk in knowing that intermittently arguing heatedly with yourself is *supposed* to be part of the experience, it’s easier to relax and have fun.

If it bugs you, skip the chapter about atheism. It’s clear from content that he doesn’t mean it as heavy-handed as it sounds. But you’ve got to ignore the implied value judgment of undue weight (never easy) to even be able to hear what he means. I had to read it twice- which was reassuringly reasonable but not fun. The book is so well-written that you can literally skip the whole chapter. I think it’s objectively complete without it, implied by all the other content.

stringent!

I was really determined to let go of free will, and I did what I was supposed to.

Brilliant. Intellectually, stimulating.

Cuts through the delusion of self and agency. A good step in discovering the true meaning of karma.

Mind-blowing

While much of the science went right over my head, I appreciated the slow building of the argument and the inevitable conclusion. Disturbing at times and understandably controversial for all the reasons he lays out, I nevertheless found the implications exciting and profoundly humane: more compassion, less judgment. I’m a fan of all Sapolsky’s work, but this is my favorite.

Excellent Reminders About Reality

Robert Sapolsky’s breadth and depth of knowledge on (the history of) innumerable subjects led this reader to a greater understanding of overlooked realities regarding the broader theme of free will vs determinism. A worthwhile read.

revolutionary

profound implications if we take this seriously; even slight openness to this can crack open more empathy for self and others.

Changed my perspective on life

everything about this book was great. for such a complex and divisive subject, Sapolsky manages to walk the line of informative expert and regular guy extremely well. the book had funny moments too and was just a pleasure to listen to.

Thank you, Robert Sapolsky, for writing this book!

I learned so much from this book. It is one I plan to reflect on for a long time. I am having fun sharing this book with everybody I know.

This book has really helped me a lot with being more understanding of myself and others and our connection with the universe we live in.

I appreciate the answers this book has given me to some of my questions, and I also appreciate the new questions this book has left me wondering.

I really appreciate Robert Sapolsky giving us this book to add to our global conversation.

Profundity

The book is profoundly important and relevant. Only criticism-the author didn’t acknowledge upfront he’s a materialist and state his inherent assumptions. One of the best narrators ever!