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Determined
- The Science of Life Without Free Will
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
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Determined
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Summary
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.
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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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- j a boult
- 25-11-23
A great read, opens the lid on human behaviour.
Clear narrative and well referenced science. I hope this is the beginning of a new understanding of human behaviour.
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1 person 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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1 person found this helpful
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- Stephen O'Brien
- 23-11-23
A gift to humanity
This book is a gift to humanity and life on our planet. Thank you to the author for bringing such humour, wisdom and compassion to our understanding of our greatest difficulties and successes.
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- Derek F.
- 01-11-23
Great thoughtful read
genuinely good read. right mix of scientific current factoids in a interesting and thoughtful story arc. leaves one with quite a few things to ponder.
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Overall5 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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2 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
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- Leroy Lawrence
- 28-11-23
Life changing
A book that I expect is life changing for many and informative to others.
Well structured and simplified enough for most readers who are not neuroscientists. With the addition of experience in its thinking on top of high quality research.
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- Topsy
- 07-11-23
My Brain Has Melted
This bloke is amazing but I was totally out of my depth. Please let me know when you print the pop-up book version, and I’ll give it another shot.
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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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