Free will

Nothing new for me, I already knew Harris's view. Still nice.

It's a great little book. A bit short, but it makes the point. I just like knowing the position exists and has a sound basis in science. It's almost like saying you can be a Calvinist and an atheist at the same time—paradoxically. I suppose this format helps Harris deliver his message better than just telling people to go watch his YouTube video on the subject.

Sam Harris is definitely an important thinker of our time. His short, but effective, book on how neuroscience shows that free will is a chemically induced illusion. I don't know if his is the final word, but it's certainly a new line in the sand for philosophical libertarians and compatibilists to cross.

However, I think Harris does himself a disservice by moving beyond the scope of arguments against free will into the realm of how we can understand moral obligations in light of determinism. It may be that he simply didn't give himself enough room, and his moral arguments may make complete sense. But if that's the case, he didn't show how in this book.

Full review available at curtisweyant.com.