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.

‘Gregg Caruso's excellent new book, How To Live Well Without Free Will,  is clear, well-informed, and engaging.  It is a must read for anyone who thinks we are better off believing in free will and just deserts.'

John Lemos - McCabe Professor of Philosophy, Coe College

‘Most philosophers are compatibilists, admitting that we are physical beings subject to the laws of the universe … yet somehow still possessing free will. Caruso bravely (and correctly, I think) argues that free will is incompatible with the material world. In this book, he explores how we might live our lives after rejecting free will – what happens to morality, justice, creativity and even love? This optimistic work is deeply insightful, rigorously reasoned and even inspiring.'

Robert Sapolsky - Standford University