Ryan's Reviews > Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will

Determined is a book which manages to articulate and justify thoughts and ideas that I've been wrestling with for some time now. Having recently read Sam Harris' essay on free will, and now this book by Sapolsky, I somewhat uncomfortably now feel like my thoughts on the subject are proven correct, or as close as we're currently capable of at the moment. Here Sapolsky does an amazing job of going over the relevant science as well as discussing many of the major concerns regarding the implications of confronting the absence of free will. Coming to terms with incompatible determinism leads to some dark places and disturbing implications. I think that the truth is always worth promoting, especially if it's uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the truth can sometimes seriously hurt and upset our sense of self and understanding of the world. This is one of those truths. The question now is are we ready to accept the sometimes unsettling consequences of that truth? I'm not sure that most of us, myself included, would be able to say yes, at least not yet.

Therefore it seems hard for me to recommend such a book in good conscience despite finding it fascinating. I'm concerned that many people wouldn't be able to handle the revelation, resulting in some serious instability and mental anguish. If you feel like that is the case for you, please don't bother. However, for those interested in the subject, those possibly wrestling with such ideas yourself, and those that don't feel like they would be deeply destabilized by such knowledge, I would highly recommend reading Determined. Reading it may irreversibly change your outlook on life, morality, and meaning but fuck it, in the end it's not really up to us is it?