Free Will

(Paperback)

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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 willand 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, moralityas well as feelings of remorse or personal achievementwithout 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.

Reviews

"In this elegant and provocative book, Sam Harris demonstrateswith great intellectual ferocity and panachethat 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 wittyand never less than incisiveFree Will shows that Sam Harris can say more in 13,000 words than most people do in 100,000."
Oliver Sacks
"Free will is an illusion so convincing that people simply refuse to believe that we dont have it. In Free Will, Sam Harris combines neuroscience and psychology to lay this illusion to rest at last. Like all of Harriss 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
"Many say that believing that there is no free will is impossibleor, if possible, will cause nihilism and despair. In this feisty and personal essay, Harris offers himself as an example of a heart made less self-absorbed, and more morally sensitive and creative, because this particular wicked witch is dead."
Owen Flanagan, Professor of Philosophy, Duke University, and author of The Really Hard Problem
"If you believe in free will, or know someone who does, here is the perfect antidote. In this smart, engaging, and extremely readable little book, Sam Harris argues that free will doesnt exist, that were better off knowing that it doesnt exist, and thatonce we think about it in the right waywe can appreciate from our own experience that it doesnt exist. This is a delightful discussion by one of the sharpest scholars around.
Paul Bloom, Professor of Psychology, Yale University, and author of How Pleasure Works

Author Bio

Sam Harris is the author of the bestselling booksThe End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation,The Moral Landscape,Free Will, and Lying.The End of Faithwon the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction. His writing has been published in over fifteen languages. Dr. Harris is cofounder and CEO of Project Reason, a nonprofit foundation devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society. He received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA. Please visit his website at SamHarris.org.