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    Free Will
    Free Will
    Free Will
    Ebook80 pages1 hour

    Free Will

    By Sam Harris

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    About this ebook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherFree Press
    Release dateMar 6, 2012
    ISBN9781451683479
    Author

    Sam Harris

    Sam Harris is the author of the bestselling books The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape, Free Will, and Lying. The End of Faith won 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.

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    Reviews for Free Will

    4/5

    444 ratings43 reviews

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    • 5/5
      it seems that, free will is going be for psychology as evolution is for biology. It will take years of research and debate to push it through predilection and influence of mainstream ideology. Also, I found references provided especially interesting and beneficial.
    • 3/5
      It is the kind of book that really makes you take a second look at life and think about over what you actually have control in your life ...
    • 5/5
      I am a big fan of these short format non-fiction books. Harris' treatment of the subject could not have been completed in an essay and a full-blown publication would have necessarily contained a lot of filler. Due to publishers' overhead, marketing, etc. the latter has been the standard for years. It's 80,000 words or nothing, which has resulted in a lot of bloated non-fiction. With the rise of the electroic format things are starting to change, thank goodness.In Free Will, Harris makes his point convincingly and concisely. This subject really should be the great debate of our time. As Harris states, the stakes are high.For more on the subject, try Tom Clark's writing (a bit of which is quoted in this book) at naturalism.org.
    • 4/5
      A great introduction to the topic of free will and determinism. Not for the philosophically advanced but this book does offer some interesting psychological perspectives that are too often overlooked in philosophy. I particularly liked the discussion of the political ramifications of free will and determinism.
    • 3/5
      This is a provocative read about an idea about life that is taken for granted--that seems so natural--though we know (scientifically speaking) it may not be real (not unlike our experience of "watching the sun rise.") Do I have free will? Could I have done things differently, or would something else have to change? If our notions of free will are wrong, what would it change about our lives? Our conceptions of morality? Our justice system?

      A quick, clear read with some worthy questions.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed reading this book, Harris is as rigorous as always, and it might be very hard to disagree with him. Nonetheless, this fine book solved my existential problems only partly! I would have enjoyed if Harris had elaborated his personal feelings a bit more.
    • 4/5
      So, it seems that free will may be an illusion, and that's alright. The book did an admirable job of illustrating why this is, and why it doesn't have to be a problem for us. Things are a lot more out of control than we like to admit. It doesn't mean we shouldn't work within our biological limitations to be the best people we can be. It just means that we do have some built in limitations that differ from person to person. Being aware of the factors we can't control may ultimately help us to have more effective control over the things we can.
    • 3/5
      Free will and responsibility are not the same thing. Reading this made me think about the epistemology and ontology of "free will", an old myth which humanity is just still not ready to let die. Philosophy and science, as ever, are way ahead of the ubiquitous closed minds of mankind.
    • 5/5
      Short and sweet. The book serves its purpose in a very convincing way. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Interesting concepts. Enjoyed the read. Thank you much
    • 4/5
      An interesting read on free will, however, I don't think this book was long enough.
    • 5/5
      Extremely thought provoking and interesting book. Some sections get a bit difficult to read and I'll admit I had to look up a few words. However, the whole concept is something I've never thought about and will definitely think about again in the future. Although...I wonder why I'm writing this Review right now...weird. haha (once you read the book you'll get it)
    • 3/5
      I think the idea of the book is very interesting, but I think that the book missed more research examples in it even there plenty already talking about free will.
    • 3/5
      En bok som utmanar tankesätt & ifrågasätter världssyn. Läsvärd bok!
    • 3/5
      Dr. Harris presents a brief summary of his deterministic/incompatibilist position on free will, or rather its absence.
      I liked his inclusion of a long quote from Tom Clark, references to Daniel Dennett, the inclusion of a quote of Einstein quoting Schopenhauer, Der Mensch kann was er will; er kann aber nicht wollen was er will, and the great reference to this link at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy that explains everything clearly and philosophically, but is missing the neuroscience.
    • 4/5
      Short, but dense. To be honest I didn’t find myself in agreement with the author at the beginning; but by the end I realized I actually lived my life already with the belief I wasn’t “free.”

      You need to have time to read this properly. Harris does not waste words.
    • 3/5
      There is some good stuff here, but I think the fact that he never actually defines what free will IS is a major flaw. For a subject like this I expect the author to be very precise with their language and their reasoning. I think Harris is a very witty and entertaining writer but I think he has a bit of a tendency to take shortcuts.
    • 2/5
      Well written nonsense. Sam Harris is a brilliant man but the truth is not in him or this book but it is enjoyable to read.
    • 3/5
      A good challenging read, I thank my neural impulses for allowing me to finish it.
    • 4/5
      Insightful view on the highly debated concept of free will.
    • 3/5
      I think the concept of 'free will' is one of the things humans have not been able to comprehend. Collectively, we've evolved to mammals with a high performing cortex, and every strength (or perceived advantage) comes with it's burden as I've come to realize. We have a thing for forcing 'comprehension' vis-à-vis the origin of the world. Sam Harris has introduced me to a different perspective of free will and inasmuch as I disagree with his rational position, I find it interesting as a person who's enthusiastic about learning.

      Some things are just beyond our comprehension because our existence remains a mystery (scientifically). Moreso, 'free will' is an element of such mystery. We can't have answers to everything, and to posit 'free will' as an illusion is to define every aspect of living as an illusion, and then life is paradoxical and a vicious circle. If you're looking for a book that logically challenges traditional beliefs, this is one of such.
    • 5/5
      Wow. Simple ideas that can be hard to come to terms with let alone integrate. Look forward to revisiting after things simmer a bit.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Good book but I expected more from Harris. I guess is tailored for a different audience.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      Did not agree with his arguments, or examples, but was coherently presented.
    • 4/5
      Interesting perspective, i think it should be furthermore discussed , ramified. Good read, brief.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I am compelled to leave a review of this tittle. It is not my choice, some unconscious processes were set in motion that drove me to this. The interesting thing is that the 'I' writing this is itself an illusion so there's a lot of loopiness going on here that I am unable to wrap my head around. doh

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Depressingly convincing. I have thought of this book pretty much every day since I finished it, mainly when I think of some new horrible crime report. I am not as eloquent as Sam Harris by far, so I cannot really explain effectively why I think Sam Harris is only partially right in his argument that there is no free will. Still, it's good to challenge oneself with these types of reads if only to test preconceived notions that we usually take for granted. This essay just took me to a place of meaninglessness. Everything I value in life is built on the philosophical foundation of free will. Sam Harris sort of turns that foundation into quicksand. He's hard to argue with, which is frustrating. The other frustrating thing is that all the counter arguments to Harris sound lame. I think I'll try to go back to my comfortable illusion of controlling my own thoughts and choices. There is hope in that mirage.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      Why wouldn't the pre-firing of the electrical impulses of our physical brain which shoes that somewhere a decision is made to act before we consciously experience the thought, not be understood as the process of experiencing a thought. There has to be a physical start to our consciousness. Furthermore, our brains wiring is created and highly influenced by our experience, the connections that are formed by that experience and become physical components, are made as we react to that experience. Our brain is not a fixed machine, it adapts to our conscious and subconscious experience...that's how we learn... it does then become a pre-determined path that has a mind of its own, so to speak. But our post event thoughts laid down the road.
    • 5/5
      A general overview on the topic of Free Will and Determinism (or the lack thereof).

      I enjoyed it! It`s Sam Harris, and generally simple to read and understand.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      wow

    Book preview

    Free Will - Sam Harris

    Cover: Free Will, by Sam Harris

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    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

    Many say that believing that there is no free will is impossible—or, 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 doesn’t exist, that we’re better off knowing that it doesn’t exist, and that—once we think about it in the right way—we can appreciate from our own experience that it doesn’t 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

    Free Will, by Sam Harris, Free Press

    For Hitch

    Contents

    The Unconscious Origins of the Will

    Changing the Subject

    Cause and Effect

    Choices, Efforts, Intentions

    Might the Truth Be Bad for Us?

    Moral Responsibility

    Politics

    Conclusion

    Acknowledgments

    Notes

    Index

    About the Author

    The question of free will touches nearly everything we care about. Morality, law, politics, religion, public policy, intimate relationships, feelings of guilt and personal accomplishment—most of what is distinctly human about our lives seems to depend upon our viewing one another as autonomous persons, capable of free choice. If the scientific community were to declare free will an illusion, it would precipitate a culture war far more belligerent than the one that has been waged on the subject of evolution. Without free will, sinners and criminals would be nothing more than poorly calibrated clockwork, and any conception of justice that emphasized punishing them (rather than deterring, rehabilitating, or merely containing them) would appear utterly incongruous. And those of us who work hard and follow the rules would not deserve our success in any deep sense. It is not an accident that most people find these conclusions abhorrent. The stakes are high.

    In the early morning of July 23, 2007, Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky, two career criminals, arrived at the home of Dr. William and Jennifer Petit in Cheshire, a quiet town in central Connecticut. They found Dr. Petit asleep on a sofa in the sunroom. According to his taped confession, Komisarjevsky stood over the sleeping man for some minutes, hesitating, before striking him in the head with a baseball bat. He claimed that his victim’s screams then triggered something within him, and he bludgeoned Petit with all his strength until he fell silent.

    The two then bound Petit’s hands and feet and went upstairs to search the rest of the house. They discovered Jennifer Petit and her daughters—Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11—still asleep. They woke all three and immediately tied them to their beds.

    At 7:00 a.m., Hayes went to a gas station and bought four gallons of gasoline. At 9:30, he drove Jennifer Petit to her bank to withdraw $15,000 in cash. The conversation between Jennifer and the bank teller suggests that she was unaware of her husband’s injuries and believed that her captors would release her family unharmed.

    While Hayes and the girls’ mother were away, Komisarjevsky amused himself by taking naked photos of Michaela with his cell phone and masturbating on her. When Hayes returned with Jennifer, the two men divided up the money and briefly considered what they should do. They decided that Hayes should take Jennifer into the living room and rape her—which he did. He then strangled her, to the apparent surprise of his partner.

    At this point, the two men noticed that William Petit had slipped his bonds and escaped. They began to panic. They quickly doused the

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