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

by Hannah Critchlow

**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**'A truly fascinating - if unnerving - read'DAILY TELEGRAPH'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, 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.

Genres: Science

209 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2019

Reviews

[Raveen Kulenthran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a happy reader of Dr Critchlow’s book: The Science of Fate. It was an enlightening read and I resonated with everything that I could bodily comprehend. What I could not reason through felt experience, I pondered intently. I felt supported in my pondering for Dr Critchlow’s narrative was not only clear but also infused with humour and described from various angles.

Although Dr Critchlow’s narrative does indeed insinuate that our future is more predictable than we may think, it does offer hope to anyone wishing to re-chart their life trajectory. The following paragraph – extracted from Dr Critchlow’s Epilogue – suggests that we do have some sway over our destiny:

“On the flip side, the exceptional plasticity, dynamism and flexibility that also characterise our brain provide scope to alter our behaviour and, potentially, our course. But to break down individual habits requires persistence as well as self-reflection and the ability to communicate with, and hold compassion for, others”

Thus, in my eyes, The Science of Fate is a book that equips its reader with the means to understand themselves in relation to their distant and recent past, serving as somewhat of a compass in the re-charting of their trajectory. I would, without a blink of an eye, recommend The Science of Fate.

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book. Really enjoyed it. Would recommend. And keep them coming