Has anybody else picked this up yet? It’s really done a number on me. Prior to reading it I would consider myself a Stoic. One of my central philosophies being that “The choices I make define who I am”.
So obviously being told that my choices were never even mine to begin with was kind of a slap in the face.
It rings true though. The choices we make at any given time are a result of our genetics, or environment, the media we’ve consumed, how tired we are…
I’m not a stranger to the concept of Ego death but it had been a hot minute since I thought about it.
I’ve not read that exact book, but pretty familiar and well-read with the underlying principals.
I consider myself a stoic and, as others have pointed out better than I ever could, one doesn’t have to throw everything out with the bathwater. I actually think my life has gotten considerably better since I’ve started trying to sit down and be like “why am I making this decision right now?”
One could argue that it’s not actually changing my decision process, just adding steps. I’d disagree with that assertion, but either way I can confirm it’s led to me being happier and more productive… and if freewill really ultimately doesn’t exist I guess that’s the best I could do anyways, haha.