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4.5
If I were to choose one word to describe this book best, it would be the word "refreshing". Much, if not most, of society and especially academia have embraced the theories of 19th Century thinkers such as Marx, Darwin, and Freud that hold to the idea that volition is illusory. We are all simply subjects of social or biological determinism. In contrast, Cunningham rejects such a view. And this is what I find refreshing about the book.Perhaps my favorite section/chapter of the book is the section titled "Choices." He acknowledges the freedom of and in choosing. Cunningham rightly identifies it as a power calling it a "superpower." Rightly understood, our will is simply our mind choosing. While Cunningham acknowledges the freedom of choice, he does not say that we make choices autonomously. External and internal causes influence our choices. Cunningham identifies any number of causes that he identifies as distractions, that influence choice.In the final analysis, this is a book that found its impetus in man's willingness to hold himself responsible for his choices. And his desire to encourage others to do the same.
