Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will

Sapolsky shares an anecdote in which a woman claims that the world sits on the back of a turtle, which sits on the back of another turtle, ad infinitum. He correlates this concept to human behavior: “The science of human behavior shows that turtles can’t float; instead, it is indeed turtles all the way down” (2). Behavior is caused by preceding biological and social factors, impacted by whatever happened a few moments before as well as by the extended process of evolution. Sapolsky criticizes the common belief that “some” individuals have less control over their behavior—such as children with learning differences falling behind classmates or people with psychiatric conditions committing crimes—and argues that no one has control over their behaviors. He identifies some significant implications of this argument: Punishment-based revenge becomes inexcusable, no one can deserve praise or favoritism, and hate becomes illogical. Despite these conclusions, Sapolsky admits that he struggles to fully embrace the concept that free will doesn’t exist. Belief in free will is inherent, and it has been recognized in both young children and other primates.

The purpose of Determined is to argue against significant free will and examine what that means.