Determined

Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will

Robert M. Sapolsky

What it’s about

A compelling case for the thesis that humans are simply ‘chemistry walking’ and cannot have free will that so many of us think we have.

Why I like it

This book reinforces so many of the elements that form the foundation of Shithappensianism and Blue Line Management. The universe is probabilistic. But there are forces at work that influence realizations and observations. Those forces eventually led to the existence of self-replicating organisms which together comprise the life form which occupies this planet (and likely similar to those life forms which likely occupy other planets in other solar systems). The components of this life form have evolved over time to lead us to the present version of this life form, a tiny subcomponent of which is the human species and a tiny subcomponent of which is a human being. The idea that this insignificant subcomponent would have the right to self-determination and agency is laughable, and yet so many humans try to convince themselves that they this is precisely what they possess. Sapolsky soundly trounces this idea with solid, data-driven empirical evidence.