How to Live Well without Free Will

This book explains how to live well-indeed, live better-without belief in free will.

Most people not only believe in free will but assume that if we didn't have it society would fall apart and would lead to nihilism and despair. This book challenges that assumption and argues that belief in free will, rather than being a good thing, actually has a dark side and we would be better off without it.Most people not only believe in free will but assume that if we didn't have it society would fall apart. Gregg Caruso challenges this assumption and argues that belief in free will, rather than being a good thing, actually has a dark side and we would be better off without it. His book develops an ethically defensible and practically workable account of how we can live well—indeed, live better—without belief in free will. The book discusses the moral psychology of blame and anger, the intricacies of our moral responsibility practices, and how we can preserve love, morality, creativity, friendship, and criminal and social justice without free will. He also develops an account of virtue ethics and argues not only that it is consistent with free will skepticism, but that adopting the skeptical perspective can better help us achieve the virtues most important to human flourishing and wellbeing.