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From the New York Times bestselling author of The End of Faith, a thought-provoking, “brilliant and witty” (Oliver Sacks) look at the notion of free will—and the implications that it is an illusion. A belief in free will touches nearly everything that human beings value. It is difficult to...

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...

Do you make your own choices or have circumstances beyond your control already decided your destiny? For thousands of years, this question has intrigued and perplexed philosophers, scientists, and everyone who thinks deliberately about how they choose to live and act. For if free will makes us accountable for our choices, does the opposite hold true, that determinism absolves us of responsibility?

In this landmark 1984 work on free will, Daniel Dennett makes a case for compatibilism. His aim, as he writes in the preface to this new edition, was a cleanup job, "saving everything that mattered about the everyday concept of free will while jettisoning the impediments". In Elbow Room, Dennett argues that the varieties of free will worth wanting - those that underwrite moral and artistic responsibility - are not threatened by advances in science but distinguished, explained, and justified in detail.

Scientists are learning more and more about how brain activity controls behavior and how neural circuits weigh alternatives and initiate actions. As we probe ever deeper into the mechanics of decision making, many conclude that agency—or free will—is an illusion. In Free Agents, leading neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell presents a wealth of evidence to the contrary, arguing that we are not mere machines responding to physical forces but agents acting with purpose.

The father of cognitive neuroscience and author of Human offers a provocative argument against the common belief that our lives are wholly determined by physical processes and we are therefore not responsible for our actions.

Henri Bergson (1859-1941) was the leading French philosopher of the first half of the 20th century. Near the end of his life when he was forced to register with the police in Nazi occupied France he wrote: ‘Academic. Philosopher. Nobel prize winner. Jew.’ Time and Free Will, his doctoral thesis, was published as a book in 1889 and attacks and rejects the mechanistic view of causality described in Kant’s version of space and time and proceeds to attempt to define free-will and consciousness by separating space and time. 

In our daily lives, it really seems as though we have free will, that what we do from moment to moment is determined by conscious decisions that we freely make. You get up from the couch, you go for a walk, you eat chocolate ice cream. It seems that we're in control of actions like these; if we are then we have free will. But in recent years, some have argued that free will is an illusion. The neuroscientist (and best-selling author) Sam Harris and the late Harvard psychologist Daniel Wegner, for example, claim that certain scientific findings disprove free will.

Does salvation hinge on divine decree or human choice? Are we puppets in a predetermined script, or does grace invite everyone to respond? For centuries, these questions have fueled some of the most passionate debates in Christian history. Some insist that God selects only a chosen few, while others hold fast to the belief that anyone can accept His grace. If you’ve ever wrestled with these ideas—or want to understand why so many do—this book is for you. This is not just another theology book. It’s a clear, compelling guide to Arminianism, the often-misunderstood perspective that ...

Do we have free will? And if we don’t, why do we feel as if we do? In a godless universe governed by impersonal laws of cause and effect, are you responsible for your actions? Former evangelical minister Dan Barker and author of God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction unveils a novel solution to the question that has baffled scientists and philosophers for millennia.

Heart disease is the number-one killer. However, traditional heart disease protocols - with their emphasis on lowering cholesterol - have it all wrong. Emerging science is showing that cholesterol levels are a poor predictor of heart disease and that standard prescriptions for lowering it, such as ineffective low-fat/high-carb diets and serious, side-effect-causing statin drugs, obscure the real causes of heart disease. The Great Cholesterol Myth reveals the real culprits of heart disease.

It's been three years since Bo Sullivan lost her dream job as one of the producers of the hit wildlife docu-series, Wild Hearts. Three years since her twin brother Max started battling cancer and she returned home to Lord Howe Island and put her life on hold. Three years since Griffin Marr, one-time crush and partner-in-crime, stole her job to become the lead producer of Wild Hearts.

Sobre el libre albedrío (De libero arbitrio voluntatis) es uno de los escritos más emblemáticos de San Agustín de Hipona (354-430 d.C.), uno de los filósofos y teólogos más influyentes de la antigüedad tardía. Escrita en el siglo IV, esta obra maestra sigue siendo relevante hoy en día, abordando las complejas cuestiones del bien y el mal, la libertad humana, y el papel de Dios en nuestras vidas.

The Bookworm Box is proud to present Two More Days, our second anthology installment. Much like the first installment, Two More Days is an exciting and unique listening experience with contributions from several of our charity's featured authors. Each author was given the same first sentence. Where they took that sentence was completely up to them.

One of the theological mysteries that every Christian who wrestles with doctrine faces is the tension between predestination and free will. Christians have been arguing over this since the 4th century, with some churches stressing the sovereign work of God and others stressing the free will of man. In this chapter taken from the book "Solid Ground", Mr. Clay explores part of this conflict and attempts to resolve it from a look at what the Bible says on both sides of the issue. Mr. Clay explains that he believes both sides have part of the truth and need to see the entire truth partially ...

When the rules turn deadly, winning is everything. Only available from Audible, a gripping psychological thriller from the author of Silent Child, Saving April, and The Broken Ones. Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Lisa Jewell and Paula Hawkins. The perfect couple. The perfect marriage. The perfect game. Effie and Ben May have everything. Success. Beauty. Glamour. But beneath the charming smiles and expensive clothes, a twisted game is in progress. A game for which only they know the rules.

Soraya Das is done with men. In the aftermath of her divorce from her cheating ex-husband, Kumar, she kicks him out of the house, and is now in the anger stage of grief. After trying to cope through workouts, throwing herself into work or spending time with her best friend Ash and her boyfriend Devin, Soraya becomes involved in an online community of Loyalty Testers–women who flirt with men in relationships, at the request of their partners, to test their loyalty.

In this book, St. Augustine examines the age old question and implications of God's sovereign grace and human free will. Representing Augustine's polemic against the Pelagian heresy, (which claims that man attains justification mostly through his deeds). The work is built on a compilation of biblical texts that represents a sound argument for human will under the guidance of divine grace.

In 1970, in one of the most infamous orca round-ups in history, an orca calf named Tokitae was taken from the islands off the coast of Seattle.

“A beautiful, thrilling, funny, and exciting book...” “Loved it! Awesome adventure on survival and a bit of romance.” “My Side of the Mountain meets Hatchet with a generous sprinkling of humor.” An award-winning adventure of courage, family, and friendship. “You're kidding, right? Balloon camping? That’s what you want for your graduation present?” The morning arrives. The balloon is filled. An unexpected storm strikes. Matt, all alone, is swept off into the wilderness in an unfinished balloon. How will he survive? Will he ever make it home again? “Perfect for kids who ...