Determined
The Science of Life Without Free Will
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Determined
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Narrated by:
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Kaleo Griffith
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
One of the world’s greatest scientists of human behaviour, the bestselling author of Behave, shows that free will does not exist - and sets out the disturbing yet liberating implications of accepting this fact.
What if free will is an illusion? As Robert Sapolsky shows in this masterful account of the science of human behaviour, everything we think and do is caused by the luck of our biology and the influence of our environment, and ultimately both are beyond our control. In a world without free will, we must completely rethink what we mean by choice, responsibility, morality and justice. Sapolsky’s extraordinary book does exactly this, guiding us toward a profoundly fairer, more humane way of living together.
‘A joy to read. It's impossible to recommend this book too highly. Reading it could change your life’ LAURENCE REES
‘Outstanding for its breadth of research, the liveliness of the writing and the depth of humanity it conveys’ Wall Street Journal
‘Moving, absorbing, compassionate' OLIVER BURKEMAN, Observer
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 AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about Determined
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- R Hamilton
- 09-06-24
An outstanding book. Everyone should read this.
Excellently written by an incredibly knowledgeable author. This will change how you think about life and those around you.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-02-24
Freeing and refreshing
I loved every minute of that book, and it left me hopeful, and calm. Embracing determinism seems scary at first but the new perspective, distance and compassion capabilities it unlocks are worth it.
The science-y stuff gets tough to grasp at times, this book requires full focus. However, the author's ability to synthesize and provide imaginative examples is a pleasant payoff after any detailed experiment description.
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- Henri
- 25-11-23
One of the most challenging books I have read.
The God Delusion convinced me that a deity is highly improbable. This book changed my view on responsibility.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kindle Customer
- 05-11-23
This book makes you stop and think
An excellent book that resonates with my own beliefs. It reinforces what I've felt for a long time, that we are not in control and life is one big rollercoaster.
I recommend taking the time to listen to this, even when it gets quite technical.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- DJP OKeeffe
- 08-02-24
An avalanche of information and reflection on one of the ultimate issues.
Worth grinding through a little slightly technical science to get to the argument, the anecdotes, the humour and the humanity.
Chapter 13 is a tour de force and worth the price alone.
I do think he’s rather unfair to philosophers, and singles out some aunt Sallys. Many would agree with every word, and got there earlier by a different route.
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- ukburke
- 03-05-25
Great book
Liked this book a lot. Didn’t enjoy the incessant “Please see the accompanying PDF for a footnote.” But I won’t complain. Really good narration.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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- Kindle Customer
- 30-08-24
Unserious but passionate and fascinating
Not a serious argument for its premise; it basically tells us that no such argument is needed. This instead is a quick review of the coolest findings in nature (and the lab) that relate to the topic. Repeating: "please see the pdf footnote" every second sentence is unforgivable. But (despite that stubborn choice) there is too much riveting material in here to make me stop listening (though I was tempted a few times).
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2 people found this helpful
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- Eric Johansson
- 25-12-23
The most profound unimpeachable truth about life
10/10. Brilliantly written! A superb listen! Shatters the magical feel good stories we tell ourselves with the liberating reality of life! Must listen!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-03-24
It’s Sapolsky, you know it’s good.
You can hear the lector saying „please see the accompanying pdf for footnote” every 5 seconds. Made me want to rip my brain out and destroyed the experience completely. Great book otherwise, huge fan.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 06-11-23
The best discussion of determinism there is
Wonderfully detailed and comprehensive look at the science and philosophy of determinism—without doubt the best there is. Using every relevant field, from neurobiology and psychology to evolutionary theory and social science, Sapolsky goes after the notion that our behaviour is freely chosen, before marshaling this impressive scientific knowledge together with philosophy to attack our notions of intention and willpower, followed by a brilliant takedown of recent efforts to sneak free will in through the backdoor of complex subjects like emergent complexity and quantum mechanics. Finally, Sapolsky does something most books on this topic rarely do: discuss how we can actually live (and legislate) while accepting the evident truth of determinism. Excellent book.
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1 person found this helpful