Why people recommend it
Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will by Robert M. Sapolsky is a comprehensive neurobiological exploration that argues against the existence of human free will. Julie Beloo recommended the book on The Ezra Klein Show as a foundational text arguing against free will, while Steven Soderbergh told The Book Review that reading it felt seismic, comparing its disruptive impact to historical texts nailed to church doors. Andrew Huberman discussed Sapolsky's perspective on Huberman Lab, noting the author's skepticism toward traditional notions of choice. Neil deGrasse Tyson presented the book on StarTalk Radio as a central subject for a conversation on determinism, and Angela Duckworth mentioned it on No Stupid Questions as a prolific argument against free will. Chris Williamson and Jordan Peterson also discussed the book on Modern Wisdom, with Peterson acknowledging Sapolsky's brilliance while expressing a more limited personal interest in determinism debates. Podcast guests consistently framed the book as a major intellectual event that challenges common assumptions about human agency.
Who recommended it
- Chris Williamson Discussed
- Julie Beloo Recommended
- Steven Soderbergh Recommended
- Andrew Huberman Discussed
- Angela Duckworth Discussed
- Erik Hoel Discussed
Chris Williamson — 3 mentions
“I mean, I know that he's a brilliant guy and this new book of his is about Free Will and determinism, which has got an upper bound on how interesting that is for me.”
“Robert seol's got a new book coming out called determined you know Robert spolski Harvard's evolutionary biologist”
“sapolski's coming on to talk about his new book determined in the middle of October”
Julie Beloo — 1 mention
“Um he wrote another book determined about um basically it's an argument against free will.”
Steven Soderbergh — 1 mention
“Well, it's got to be the Robert Seapolski book, Determined. This is seismic. This is something that way back when would have been nailed to the door of some institution.”
Andrew Huberman — 1 mention
“um you've got people like Robert spolski wrote the book determined he doesn't believe in Free Will”
Angela Duckworth — 1 mention
“He most recently wrote a book, quite prolific, called 'Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will.'”
Erik Hoel — 1 mention
“I got sent through uh literally today out front Robert sapolski's new book... I don't know if I've seen the new one determined the science of life without free will”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 1
“I have one in my hand right now, it came out just months ago, wow, titled 'Determinism: A Science of Life Without Free Will.' Wow, and that's going to be a major subject of our conversation today.”