Free Will

By Sam Harris

Book Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author of The End of Faith, a thought-provoking, "brilliant and witty" (Oliver Sacks) look at the notion of free will--and the implications that it is an illusion.

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1451683405
• ISBN13: 9781451683400
• Release Date: March 2012
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Interesting but Faulty

The first time I read this book I was probably too young and ended up totally petrified for several days by the idea of not having any free will! Those were good times. Harris certainly does a great job laying out his information and convictions in a captivating way, but much of his information is being intentionally misinterpreted to further his own agenda, and it is becoming severely outdated at this point. The philosophical side of the free will debate is another matter, however. I personally no longer subscribe to determinism (read René Guénon's Crisis of the Modern World for an absolute upheaval of rationalism and scientism, and really all contemporary philosophy!) but I'm not going to rate the book badly for that. I guess it's worth the read since it does outline the philosophical argument for determinism in a concise and easy-to-follow way, but just remember the scientific evidence is faulty.

Booooo

Boring repetition of the same four arguments, none of which make sense.

Read this book!

I loved everything about this book. Everyone should read it. This book by a New York Times best-selling author describes a fundamental idea about how we think and how the universe works. Sam Harris proves the truth of an idea that feels impossible but must be true. Are you ready for a great adventure? Read this book!