The Science of Fate: The New Science of Who We Are - And How to Shape our Best Future

Description

The Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller 'A truly fascinating - if unnerving - read' The Telegraph 'We can all benefit from Critchlow's book' New Scientist 'Acute, mind-opening, highly accessible - this book doesn't just explain how our lives might pan out, it helps us live better' Bettany Hughes 'A humane and highly readable account of the neuroscience that underpins our ideas of free will and fate' Professor David Runciman So many of us believe that we are free to shape our own destiny. But what if free will doesn't exist? What if our lives are largely predetermined, hardwired in our brains - and our choices over what we eat, who we fall in love with, even what we believe are not real choices at all? Neuroscience is challenging everything we think we know about ourselves, revealing how we make decisions and form our own reality, unaware of the role of our unconscious minds. Did you know, for example, that: * You can carry anxieties and phobias across generations of your family? * Your genes and pleasure and reward receptors in your brain will determine how much you eat? * We can sniff out ideal partners with genes that give our offspring the best chance of survival? Leading neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow draws vividly from everyday life and other experts in their field to show the extraordinary potential, as well as dangers, which come with being able to predict our likely futures - and looking at how we can alter what's in store for us. Lucid, illuminating, awe-inspiring The Science of Fate revolutionises our understanding of who we are - and empowers us to help shape a better future for ourselves and the wider world. Cover About the Author Title Page Copyright Dedication Contents 1. Free will or fate? 2. The Developing Brain 3. The Hungry Brain 4. The Caring Brain 5. The Perceiving Brain 6. The Believing Brain 7. The Predictable Brain 8. The Cooperative Brain Epilogue Acknowledgements References Index