Choosey
Do we have the power to choose? The debate between free-will and predetermination is a dynamic one. People can live perfectly happy lives adhering to one of these two schools of thought, and sticking to it. However, for those who struggle to cope with this question, or are unable to find satisfaction in either answer, how is this to be managed?
It is not like either philosophy can be proven as the “right” one. So where does the debate begin? Scientists argue that because every action chemical, physical or otherwise, has a calculable reaction, then on a molecular level everything that we do is actually a chain reaction that we cannot control. Does this molecular picture truly determine our broader actions as a whole? Is there another factor to choices, that are not so predictable which scientists are currently overlooking?
Possibly.
Believing that our lives are predetermined does take a bit of the anxiety away. If we cannot directly control what happens to us, then why should we worry about it? The importance to free-will is that it enables us to believe that our actions matter to the point where they are the only things that are shaping the course of our lives. However, is this outlook completely necessary?
Even though our lives may be predetermined, we still pursue certain things because they fulfill us and make our lives seem more complete. People who believe in predeterminism can still be very ambitious, yet more so they are able to rely upon faith for the things that they cannot directly control.
It is as if the choices that they are taking (like picking between a red and green apple for instance) are not actually within their control, so all they are able to save energy and worry, by picking quickly and moving on, because they know that no matter what they would have picked the green apple anyway.
Is this philosophy the “correct” one? Will scientists ever know this answer for certain? Does predeterminism as a philosophy release us from guilt or regret, or does it limit our belief in the possibilities that we have, potentially turning us reliant upon our basic urges that are most prominent, leaving us stuck as people we do not want to be, with no conviction that we have the capacity to change?
I don’t know.
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