A brief book that intends to show that thereās still room for free will to exist by examining the logical leaps made by those denouncing it. It does a good job of showing the shortcomings of popular arguments against free will and adds some balance to a subject that is mostly dominated by the other, more interesting, side.
Not sold on the conclusion that an individualās opinion on the existence of free will depends on where they set the bar. To me it feels very much like something we either have in any measure or donāt have at all.
Highlights
Obedience to authority is important for civil society. Because it's useful, it's instilled by parents, teachers, and others. It becomes habitual in many people. But we also know the evils to which it can lead. Milgram's work was motivated partly by a desire to understand how ordinary German citizens who became rank-and-file military personnel ended up committing atrocities. Obedience to authority is an important part of his answer. The official demand for obedience to authority should include education about proper limits to obedience. Milgram writes: "In growing up, the normal individual has learned to check the expression of aggressive impulses. But the culture has failed, almost entirely, in inculcating internal controls on actions that have their origin in authority. For this reason, the latter constitutes a fat greater fanger to human survival" (1974, p. 247). Education can lessen this danger.
Research on implementation intentions certainly suggests that one useful technique for overcoming anticipated motivation not to do what you judge it best to do laterāfor example, exercise next week or finish writing a resume by the end of the dayāis simply to decide, shortly after making the judgement, on a very specific plan for so doing. Of course, what works against a relatively modest motivational opposition might not work when the opposition is considerably stronger.