Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will

Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will is a science book written by Robert Sapolsky and published in 2023. Sapolsky, a renowned neuroscientist and biologist with a multifaceted career as a researcher, author, and educator, argues that free will is a myth. Using an interdisciplinary approach, Sapolsky shows how biological and environmental factors influence behavior, which leaves no room for free will. His goal is to encourage free will skepticism and illustrate that a belief in free will has negative consequences at both the personal and societal levels. He suggests that a host of societal ills can be corrected through the widespread acceptance that behavior is determined rather than a result of free will.

This guide refers to the Kindle e-book version published by Penguin Press in 2023.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain hypothetical discussions of violence, pedophilia, sexual assault, and death.

Summary

Sapolsky introduces his argument through an anecdotal metaphor that the world sits on top of an infinite stack of turtles. Human behavior, he posits, is caused by intricate interactions between biological and environmental forces rather than by free will. If this is the case, then morally judging others for their behavior is both illogical and unjustifiable.