Grace Cathedral Forum Online “Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will”

Submitted by the Event Organizer

In 2018, the great behavioral scientist Robert Sapolsky came to The Forum to discuss his bestselling book Behave, his now classic account of why humans do good and why they do bad. That program has over 221,000 views.

Now, in his new book Determined, Sapolsky mounts a brilliant (and in his inimitable way, delightful) full-frontal assault on the pleasant fantasy that there is some separate self telling our biology what to do.

One by one, Sapolsky tackles all the major arguments for free will and takes them out, cutting a path through the thickets of chaos and complexity of science and quantum physics, as well as touching ground on some of the wilder shores of philosophy. Sapolsky applies the new understanding of life beyond free will to some of our most essential questions around punishment, morality, and living well together.

Join Malcolm Clemens Young for a conversation with Sapolsky about his insights into free will, the monumental task of living our daily lives recognizing that we have no free will, and how that could make for a much more humane world.

About the Guest

Robert M. Sapolsky is the author of several works of nonfiction, including A Primate’s Memoir, The Trouble with Testosterone, and Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. His 2017 book, Behave, was a New York Times bestseller and named a best book of the year by The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. He is the John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor of biology, neurology and neurosurgery at Stanford University and the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” He and his wife live in San Francisco.

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