Do we have free will? Do we have a choice in what we do? Philosophers and theologians have debated these questions for centuries; Robert Sapolsky answered them when he was 14. Free will, he concluded, simply does not exist.
Robert is now in his mid-sixties. He has degrees from Harvard and Rockefeller University; he won a MacArthur “genius” award; and he’s a professor at Stanford, where he holds joint appointments in biology, neurology, and neurosurgery. But despite how much time has passed and how long his CV has grown, he never lost his youthful fascination with free will — or our lack thereof — so he decided to write a book about it. It’s called “Determined,” and in addition to assembling a formidable case against free will, Robert makes the intriguing argument that if we can abandon our illusion of volition, we can build a more humane world.
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PARENTING: Learn How to Do It Better With Science, Data, and Mr. Rogers
PERSONALITY: The Science of Being Who You Want
JOYFUL: Ingrid Fetell Lee and Adam Grant on the Objects That Make Us Happy
CULT OF WE: How WeWork's CEO Vaporized $40 Billion
BREATH: Is Deep Breathing the Secret to Long Living?
DRUNK: Can Alcohol Make You More Creative, Sociable, and Attractive?
DEATH, SEX & MONEY: Anna Sale Talks About Hard Things
THE BOMBER MAFIA: Malcolm Gladwell on Warfare, Audiobooks, and the Future of Storytelling
EFFORTLESS: Embrace the Easy Option
HIGH CONFLICT: How to Defuse Any Squabble (Amanda Ripley & Susan Cain)
EXTENDED MIND: Want to Get Smarter? Try Thinking Outside of Your Brain
DELUSIONS: How Self-Deception Can Help You Flourish (Shankar Vedantam & Daniel Pink)
AI: The Extraordinary Story of the Tech That’s Changing the World
MINE: How the Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives
GATHERING: Mastering the Art of Hanging Out
EMAIL: Would the World Be Better Without It?
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