in "the self beyond itself: an alternative history of ethics, the new brain sciences, and the myth of free will," ravven challenges the idea of free will. attributing free will to human beings means that human beings have the capacity to rise above both nature and nurture and even current situation to be good people and choose to act ethically. this capacity to choose our actions—to rise above our genetic inheritance whatever it might be, above our upbringing no matter how terrible it was, and above our present situation despite its social pressures—is what is meant by "free will." we do moral acts for moral reasons, for no other fully determining reasons, and out of no other fully determining causes—such as brain modules, group pressures, or upbringing. and that is why we can be held morally responsible. ravven argues that this view is false and also that it is a cultural belief particular to the western world. she traces the belief in free will to a theological myth and notion of human nature, and exposes the origins of the idea of free will in the christian theology of the latin west originating in the church father st. augustine. she describes how that theology became secularized so that many today are unaware than free will presupposes a human person beyond nature and environment who can intervene as if from above (like an all-powerful god). "the self beyond itself" was translated into chinese under the direction of professor han quihong of northeast normal university in changchun, china, and published by the people's publishing house in 2016.