Determined cover art

Determined

The Science of Life Without Free Will

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Determined

By: Robert M. Sapolsky
Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

One of the world’s greatest scientists of human behaviour, the bestselling author of Behave, shows that free will does not exist - and sets out the disturbing yet liberating implications of accepting this fact.

What if free will is an illusion? As Robert Sapolsky shows in this masterful account of the science of human behaviour, everything we think and do is caused by the luck of our biology and the influence of our environment, and ultimately both are beyond our control. In a world without free will, we must completely rethink what we mean by choice, responsibility, morality and justice. Sapolsky’s extraordinary book does exactly this, guiding us toward a profoundly fairer, more humane way of living together.

‘A joy to read. It's impossible to recommend this book too highly. Reading it could change your life’ LAURENCE REES

‘Outstanding for its breadth of research, the liveliness of the writing and the depth of humanity it conveys’ Wall Street Journal

‘Moving, absorbing, compassionate' OLIVER BURKEMAN, Observer

©2023 Robert M Sapolsky (P)2023 Penguin Audio Biological Sciences Biology Ethics & Morality Philosophy Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Health Human Brain Mental Health Morality

Critic Reviews

[A] highly entertaining account of why … we should and must overcome the infuriating conspiracy of mind that insists we are the authors of our actions. Anyone who believes otherwise needs to read it (Philip Ball)
Wonderfully readable ... humorous and warm and humane (Justin Webb)
All stars
Most relevant  
interesting concepts covered, had to stop listening, as the narrator kept saying go to the pdf or notes for more info after EVERY single concept or page, making it very hard to concentrate on the story and disrupted the flow of the story.

interesting subject matter

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have no choice but to review this book positively, and because of that, my brain will now make decisions It wouldn't have, had somebody prevented me from reading this book

I had no choice

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The most important book I’ve ever read about humanity and culture. I must read for anyone who cares about equality and plain humanity, whether you believe in free will or not, is irrelevant.

THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not quite as accessible as Behave. A few chapters you are better off skimming over if you are a lay reader.

Interesting but hard going at times

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I made a complaint PDF because the PDF does not contain any footnotes. It’s been several weeks since I made the complaint and nothing has been done. It is absolutely pathetic that accompany like penguin can’t put together a PDF that contains footnotes. I can only imagine that the PDF that has been supplied to audible is not the PDF That was intended when the audible content was produced. Absolutely bloody disgraceful..
Other than that, this is a sensational book. I’m just totally pissed off that I had to go and buy a hard copy of it so that I could read the bloody foot notes really really annoying.

Annoying a all luck

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As with any book by Sapolsky it's great, but the recording features constant high frequency distortion that makes it intolerable to listen for long in headphones.

The performance is fine but Professor Sapolsky is a far more engaging speaker - would love to hear him narrate instead, but failing that just taking care to make sure the audio is listenable shouldn't be too much to ask for an audiobook! A common problem on Audible unfortunately.

Great book, badly recorded.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
So true. And hard to swallow. But true nonetheless, thank you for opening our eyes

On point!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Dr Sapolsky is one of the greatest minds of our generation. Amazed yet again at his depth of insight and artful explanation of neuroscience.

Relevant and accessible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Please see the accompanying pdf for a footnote did my head in and I had to stop listening

Please see the accompanying pdf for a footnote

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Professor Sapolsky's exploration of free will is nothing short of enlightening. His book provides a thorough examination of various perspectives on this complex and debated topic. Here’s a summary of some key viewpoints covered:

Libertarian Free Will: This perspective argues that humans have the genuine ability to make choices free from prior causes or external influences. Libertarians maintain that despite genetic, environmental, or upbringing factors, individuals can still choose freely and thus are morally responsible for their actions. Sapolsky’s discussion on this view highlights its connection to moral accountability and the ongoing debate about whether such freedom truly exists.

Determinism: Sapolsky presents determinism as the view that all events, including human actions, are dictated by prior causes such as natural laws, genetics, and past experiences. According to this viewpoint, our choices are not truly free but rather the result of a chain of cause-and-effect events. Hard determinism, a subset of this view, asserts that everything, including our choices, is preordained and free will is an illusion.

Compatibilism: This approach seeks to reconcile free will with determinism. Compatibilists argue that while our actions may be influenced by prior causes, we can still act freely as long as we are not coerced. For them, free will means acting according to one’s desires and intentions, even if those desires are determined by prior factors. Sapolsky’s treatment of this perspective provides a nuanced understanding of how free will might coexist with determinism.

Illusionism: Sapolsky also explores the view that free will might be an illusion. Advances in neuroscience suggest that many decisions are made unconsciously before we become aware of them. This raises questions about whether our conscious mind truly controls our choices or if these decisions are predetermined by brain processes.

Religious and Theological Views: The book delves into how various religious traditions, including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, perceive free will. These traditions often view free will as a divine gift that allows humans to choose between good and evil. However, some theological perspectives, like theological determinism, propose that God’s omniscience and omnipotence suggest that all events, including human choices, are predestined.

Professor Sapolsky’s book offers a comprehensive and thought-provoking look at the multifaceted nature of free will. Whether you lean towards the belief in true free will or find the deterministic or illusionist perspectives more convincing, this book is a valuable read for anyone interested in understanding the philosophical, scientific, and theological dimensions of human choice.

A Comprehensive Exploration of Free Will

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.