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  • Free Will

  • By: Sam Harris
  • Narrated by: Sam Harris
  • Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (410 ratings)

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Free Will

By: Sam Harris
Narrated by: Sam Harris
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Publisher's Summary

A belief in free will touches nearly everything that human beings value. It is difficult to think about law, politics, religion, public policy, intimate relationships, morality—as well as feelings of remorse or personal achievement—without first imagining that every person is the true source of his or her thoughts and actions. And yet the facts tell us that free will is an illusion.

In this enlightening book, Sam Harris argues that this truth about the human mind does not undermine morality or diminish the importance of social and political freedom, but it can and should change the way we think about some of the most important questions in life.

©2012 Sam Harris (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Critic Reviews

"Free will is an illusion so convincing that people simply refuse to believe that we don’t have it. In Free Will, Sam Harris combines neuroscience and psychology to lay this illusion to rest at last. Like all of Harris’s books, this one will not only unsettle you but make you think deeply. Read it: you have no choice." (Jerry A. Coyne, Professor of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, and author of Why Evolution Is True)
"In this elegant and provocative book, Sam Harris demonstrates—with great intellectual ferocity and panache—that free will is an inherently flawed and incoherent concept, even in subjective terms. If he is right, the book will radically change the way we view ourselves as human beings." (V. S. Ramachandran, Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition, UCSD, and author of The Tell-Tale Brain)
"Brilliant and witty—and never less than incisive— Free Will shows that Sam Harris can say more in 13,000 words than most people do in 100,000." (Oliver Sacks)

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genuinely thought provoking

thoughtful and argued thoroughly, this is an interesting and perceptive piece of work. recommended .

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Didn't have a choice but to give it 5 stars.

This book will transform the way you think about your actions and those of others.

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2 people found this helpful

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Free will - an illusion

Fantastic information and great narration. I'd recommend this work series of Harris to anyone who is interested in civilization advancement. If we get these ethical and moral challenges into mainstream consciousness, it could bring forth a better world. A more unified, kinder world.

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Love Sam Harris 💛

I love that Sam Harris read his own book. His book echoed some of my own thoughts about free will, but gave me much further thought. Amazing book, amazing ideas and great narration 💕

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Inevitable

If you never read this book you were never going to. if you do you were always going to.

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unintuitive but clear

difficult concept but well written and clear in its arguments. thoroughly enjoyed the listen and would reccomend to others interested in philosophy

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Thoroughly thought provoking

A 5 course intellectual, psychological, epistemological feast delivered in a simple, clear and concise manner and totally enjoyable

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A book that could have been an e-mail

Subject: you can't choose to do anything.
Dear all:
Whatever you do in the immediate term is pre-defined by your environment and circumstances. Your brain has made a decision before you choose. In the middle-term you are what your genes and your nurture decide. Don't even try. And the long term doesn't count because you need to plan and you ar a victim of the circumstances that made you plan. This book is very bad. And if, as some reviewers have said, it is summary of Harris's work, then there is no point in reading it.

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Important

Enlightening topic and a bit of a game changer that will no doubt gain traction in the next 20 years.
Important read for anyone interested in consciousness and definitely psychiatrists and psychologists.

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ok, but nothing new

great, but not worth it if you've read his other books, mostly material he's covered elsewhere

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