Biochemical Robots

it’s the 10th anniversary of sam harris’ free will, one of the most popular books of the past decade written on the free will debate. harris’ well-deserved reputation as an author, intellectual, and social commentator has afforded free will an exposure that books on the subject rarely enjoy. the 10th anniversary of its publication makes the timing right for a no-holds-barred critique of determinist doctrine as presented by free will. the moral implications of the free will debate have gained renewed urgency from scientific findings that determinist beliefs lead to cheating, aggression, and other immoral conduct. are we really biochemical robots? refuses to accept that mother theresa and charlie manson are morally interchangeable, both biochemical robots following their causal programming. it strikes an unsparing blow against determinism, its arguments, its circular premises, and its reliance on selective evidence.