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Free Will

I've appreciated a lot of what Sam Harris has created (such as Waking Up, and especially his meditation app of the same name), so wasn't unfamiliar with his arguments. This one's short, and is okay. His arguments are not the most intellectually rigorous, but I'm not sure that was his intention. Rather than an exploration of determinism, his goal is to show that if you look closely for "the one who thinks," it disappears. Thoughts appear in consciousness, and the autonomy we believe we have is an illusion — in fact, the illusion isn't even there. If you haven't explored this, it's a hard concept to grasp. If this sounds like gobbledygook, you'll likely get little from this book. Much of the content in Free Will overlaps with his meditation app, and I'd recommend that instead to approach these ideas.

Ratings

These are entirely subjective, and roughly try to capture my personal enjoyment and usefulness, and how likely I'd recommend it to others. Don't read too much into this unless you love my judgement. Rough guidelines:

A: Top quartile. Changed the way I think about something.

B: Worthwhile. I took away something useful.

C: Didn't hit, wouldn't directly recommend. Likely won't revisit.

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