Free Will

Sam Harris

Mar 2012 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Sam Harris

About this audiobook

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.

Ratings and reviews

I guess it's interesting how a massive entanglement of physical events could end with me leaving a rating that may or may not influence the massive entanglement of physical events of someone that is so far removed from me to possibly listen to this audio book as well. Not that there was a choice in the matter. I'm glad that Sam read this although it seemed a bit more theatrical than I am used to as a listener to Waking Up. It's a good, thought-provoking, short book that lended itself quite well to the audio format.

This book will change your life, or at least question everything you thought was true up to now.

Perfect!

About the author

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.