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Determined: Life Without Free Will by Robert M Sapolsky
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\nOne of the world's greatest scientists of human behaviour, the bestselling author of Behave, shows that free will does not exist - and challenges us to rethink the notions of choice, identity, responsibility, justice, morality and how we live together.
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\n'One of the best scientist-writers of our time' OLIVER SACKS
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\n'Moving, absorbing, compassionate' OLIVER BURKEMAN, Observer
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\nBehind every thought, action and experience there lies a chain of biological and environmental causes, stretching back from the moment a neuron fires to the dawn of our species and beyond. Nowhere in this infinite sequence is there a place where free will could play a role.
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\nWithout free will, it makes no more sense to punish people for antisocial behaviour than it does to scold a car for breaking down. It is no one's fault they are poor or overweight or unsuccessful, nor do people deserve praise for their talent or hard work; 'grit' is a myth. This mechanistic view of human behaviour challenges our most powerful instincts, but history suggests that we have already made great strides toward it: where once we saw demonic possession or cowardice, for example, now we diagnose illness or trauma and offer help.
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\nDetermined confronts us with our true nature: who and what we are is biology and nothing more. Disturbing and liberating in equal measure, it explores the far-reaching implications for society of accepting this reality. Monumentally difficult as it may be, the reward will be a far more just and humane world.
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\nA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
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\n‘Utterly fascinating … with mind-boggling implications’ FRANS DE WAAL
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\n'Wonderfully readable ... humorous and warm and humane' Justin Webb, Today (BBC Radio 4)
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\nDetermined: Life Without Free Will by Robert M Sapolsky
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