Máme na vybranou? - Otázka svobodné vůle z pohledu moderní vědy – Sapolsky Robert M. (2025)

We believe that we decide our own fate and that we deserve praise for success or punishment for failure. But what if it’s all just an illusion? What if all human actions are fully determined by what we have inherited, what we have experienced, and the environment in which we grew up? Neuroscientist and bestselling author Robert M. Sapolsky, in his provocative and brilliantly written book Behave (2017, Czech 2019), draws on the latest scientific findings about the brain, consciousness, emotions, genetics, and quantum physics, and step by step debunks the belief that our mind exists outside of biology. Sapolsky gradually addresses the main arguments of proponents of free will and shows that there is no room for randomness in the chain of events leading to any of our decisions. However, his thesis is not a call to fatalism – quite the opposite. In a world without free will, it is necessary to fundamentally rethink our current approach to the possibility of choice, responsibility, morality, and justice. This can help us better understand who we are – and why we act the way we do.