Bibliography of Determinism

Here is a list of books dealing with free will and determinism from a deterministic point of view, or somewhere in the middle. Some books present evidence as opposed to a firmly philosophical conclusion.

I will update this list when I have the chance, but to start with, ere are some:

  • Baer, Kayfman & Baumeister (2008). Are We Free? The Psychology of Free Will. OUP USA
  • Dehaene, Stanislas (2014). Consciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts. Viking
  • Eagleman, David (2012). Incognito. Canongate Books Ltd
  • Harris, Sam (). Free Will.
  • Honderich, T. (1993). How free are you? Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Hood, Bruce (2013). The Self Illusion: Why There is No ‘You’ Inside Your Head. Constable
  • Miles, James B. (2015). The Free Will Delusion: How we settled for the illusion of Morality. Matador
  • Pereboom, D. (2001). Living without free will. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Smilansky, S. (2000). Free will and illusion. Oxford: Clarendon.
  • Wegner, D. M. (2002). The illusion of conscious will. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

 

Here are some short synopses of some of these books, provided by Julian Haydon:

Pereboom, D. (2001). Living without free will. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

This is probably the best book on the matter, because it explains both why free will is impossible, and how understanding this truth can enhance, rather than detract, from what we value in life.

Wegner, D. M. (2002). The illusion of conscious will. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

This book provides an exhaustive description of many scientific experiments throughout various scientific disciplines that refute the notion of free will. Wegner, however, goes beyond that. He uses scientific evidence to explain how all of our decisions are made at the level of our unconscious, and that our conscious mind is actually an observer of reality rather than a decider.

Honderich, T. (1993). How free are you? Oxford: Oxford University Press.

While somewhat dated, this is a good primer on the determined will vs. free will question. It explains the basic arguments for each side, and notes that “The real problem of determinism and freedom is the finding or making of a satisfactory response to the likely truth of determinism.”

Smilansky, S. (2000). Free will and illusion. Oxford: Clarendon.

This book is interesting because the author firmly understands that free will is an illusion, but fears what might happen if the world awoke to this reality. He suggests that scientists and philosophers keep hidden from the public the truth that humans have a determined rather than a free will.