I'm Alan Alda and this is clear and vivid conversations about connecting and communicating. People get seduced by this moment,

a moment where you believe you have decided something.

You've chosen vanilla ice cream over chocolate,

and it just feels so intuitive.

And for most people, that's sort of the open and shut case

there that you just displayed free will.

And from where I'm coming from, that's missing 99% of what's actually going on.

Where did that intent come from in the first place?

If you don't ask that question, that's like you're trying to review a book

and all you've done is read the last three pages of it.

Because what's really interesting is how did you become the person who you are,

the sort of person who would intend to choose strawberry over chocolate.

How'd that happen?

That's Robert Sopalski.

And if you think you choose strawberry over chocolate on the last minute whim,

then you're in for a surprise.

Robert's new book is called Determine, A Science of Life without free will.

And in it he sets out to convince you and in our conversation convinced me that free will is an illusion.

I'm really looking forward to this conversation because I think you say in your book that your goal is to convince

the reader that there's no free will at all.

But you'll be satisfied, you'll settle for someone thinking that it's a lot, there's a lot less free will than we imagine.

Is that roughly what you hope to do with the book?

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