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osc's review against another edition
5.0
Everything Sam Harris writes is worth reading, and then re-reading. The ideas that he champions in this book have some interesting societal implications if they turn out to be true. Although he has some very intelligent critics who disagree with much of what he puts forth in this book as well, and it should be interesting to read their exchanges in the coming months.
scott_op_ks's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Interesting. Strong arguments. For being so short it did feel a bit repetitive.
dualmon's review against another edition
4.0
I'm on board with the seeming dichotomy of underlying determinism and the useful illusion of choice.
freyaxmae's review against another edition
5.0
It’s a great introduction into philosophical thought and the huge questions that come with religion. It’s short and sweet and leaves you with something to think about.
briannadasilva's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Sam Harris makes arguments here I largely already agree with, so nothing new there. Yes, free will is (technically, scientifically) an illusion. But I did appreciate how he responded to some of the potential issues this idea brings up in criminal justice, culture, etc.
Lopping off a star for the brief foray into political partisanship. I'm not a conservative myself, but if I had been I would have found this part off-putting. I think he could have done without alienating some of the people he was theoretically trying to persuade.
Lopping off a star for the brief foray into political partisanship. I'm not a conservative myself, but if I had been I would have found this part off-putting. I think he could have done without alienating some of the people he was theoretically trying to persuade.
rodhilton's review against another edition
3.0
Sam Harris has been doing a thing lately where, rather than publishing a full-length book, he publishes long essays as eBooks. It's kind of weird, and ultimately the main problem of Free Will.
Free Will is a big topic. It's one of the most hotly discussed aspects of philosophy, and the fundamental foundation for our justice system. Free Will is a big deal. So if you think that 80 pages might not be enough to cover such a huge topic, I'd have to say you're dead on.
Harris makes a strong argument that Free Will, even that proposed by Compatibilism, is illusory. I think this argument is actually pretty convincing, as a Compatibilist myself, I found myself questioning a number of my beliefs. I like when books make me do this, so I really enjoyed this bit. Sam's argument is pure determinism, which is something of a rarity, particularly as well-argued as it is in Free Will.
I temporarily suspended my belief in Compatibilist Free Will for the purpose of reading the book, and I was flooded with a number of questions. What impact does this have on our legal system and our sense of personal accountability? The implications of no free will are enormous, and I expected to see Sam provide some great insight into these sorts of questions. But instead, the book ended.
Just when things are starting to get interesting, there's a 2-page section (I can't call it a chapter) on the legal implications of determinism, and then a conclusion. The conclusion, hilariously, ends with Sam arguing that, since his actions are determined by factors out of his control, he may as well write the final few paragraphs as a stream of consciousness, which includes ruminations on the fact that he wants to stop writing because he's hungry. Quite appropriate because, as a book, it feels like something the author stopped writing to go make a sandwich, then never came back to and finished.
Free Will is too fascinating a topic, with too huge of set of implications, to be dismantled in a mere 80 pages without further discussion. Free Will is an enjoyable book/essay/glorified blog post, but it doesn't do it's subject matter justice.
Free Will is a big topic. It's one of the most hotly discussed aspects of philosophy, and the fundamental foundation for our justice system. Free Will is a big deal. So if you think that 80 pages might not be enough to cover such a huge topic, I'd have to say you're dead on.
Harris makes a strong argument that Free Will, even that proposed by Compatibilism, is illusory. I think this argument is actually pretty convincing, as a Compatibilist myself, I found myself questioning a number of my beliefs. I like when books make me do this, so I really enjoyed this bit. Sam's argument is pure determinism, which is something of a rarity, particularly as well-argued as it is in Free Will.
I temporarily suspended my belief in Compatibilist Free Will for the purpose of reading the book, and I was flooded with a number of questions. What impact does this have on our legal system and our sense of personal accountability? The implications of no free will are enormous, and I expected to see Sam provide some great insight into these sorts of questions. But instead, the book ended.
Just when things are starting to get interesting, there's a 2-page section (I can't call it a chapter) on the legal implications of determinism, and then a conclusion. The conclusion, hilariously, ends with Sam arguing that, since his actions are determined by factors out of his control, he may as well write the final few paragraphs as a stream of consciousness, which includes ruminations on the fact that he wants to stop writing because he's hungry. Quite appropriate because, as a book, it feels like something the author stopped writing to go make a sandwich, then never came back to and finished.
Free Will is too fascinating a topic, with too huge of set of implications, to be dismantled in a mere 80 pages without further discussion. Free Will is an enjoyable book/essay/glorified blog post, but it doesn't do it's subject matter justice.
jasperburns's review against another edition
4.0
View my best reviews and a collection of mental models at jasperburns.blog.