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.

  • Poiuytrewq0987650987@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    In my limited, layman’s thinking of this concept, it’s that you’re “free” to do anything you want. You just never will do anything you want, because of various ways you observe and apply decision-making to a given scenario.

    Can I go outside and set my car on fire? Sure. Will I? No, of course not. I’m prohibited from such a decision based on a variety of punitive factors against making such a decision, not to mention I’m not insane. I will never decide on a whim to set my car on fire.

    So… am I truly free to decide on such a course of action? Viewed in the context I just described… no, I don’t think I have free will.

    Go left or go right? Put yourself in the same situation a million times, under the same exact circumstances, you’ll make the same decision over and over again. You’ll never make the other decision.