Philosophy Now Forum

Hi everyone .. i hope i can get some good inputs/inspiration on how to approach my "issue".
I am writing an essay about "freedom of choice", a point of view says that :
"a choice can never been absolutly free, if it is based on factors that cannot be freely choosen".
to illustrate that i came across this exemple :

"i am in my grandma's house" .... being there, is it really a free choice ?

taking in consideration the abouve point of view the answer is no, because the CULMINATION of factors that made me / contributed
to my choice are not freely choosed.

the factors that made me choose could be:

A) i have holidays ( i didnt choosed that )
B) my grandpa recently died ( i didnt choosed that )
C) my gradmother is alone ( i didnt choosed that )

so the factors A + B + C together contributed to taking my choice of being in my gandma's house.
but since ( A + B + C ) -> not freely chosen, then the choice that is caming out of them is not free as well

My question:
Somehow the above exemple, doesnt seem quite right, but i cannot find how to approach the argumentation of that

Even if ( A + B + C ) are not freely chosen, it does not mean that necessary the choice that is made in NOT freely chosen.

Any suggestion , please ?

stregoi wrote:.
Any suggestion

Yes, when you write your essay you should drop the "d" from the end of choose, unless you're writing a piece for the Bible.
BTW. Sorry to hear about your Grandpa.

No one chooses to be born. Someone else's decision. But that's an ethical issue, and probably not what you're seeking.

Freedom of choice or "free will" depends on where you draw the line of influences of that choice. Some will claim that anything that influences a choice negates free will and therefore there is no free will. Others will say that some influences are part of the free will choice while others are deterministic, where you draw the line will make the difference between free will and determinism.

Harbal wrote:

stregoi wrote:.
Any suggestion

Yes, when you write your essay you should drop the "d" from the end of choose, unless you're writing a piece for the Bible.
BTW. Sorry to hear about your Grandpa.

Probably meant to type an 'N' instead of a 'D' in the first case, in the other three I think you are correct. I would visit my mother a bit more after my father died, they were company for each other, so our visits were not as frequent.

Back to the OP, I wanted a unicorn, but because it doesn't exist, that decision to was taken away from me, and was forced to choose not to.... What I'm trying to say is, of course you are limited by your externalities. But within those limits, you can choose. It's no less a 'free' choice. What limits you to choose are within you; your predispositions. You can't choose to be a genius, for example, if you are not built to be. You can choose to be well read though, and more knowledgeable than the average genius, in a field, providing you're also not brain damaged.... If you aren't disposed to enjoy soccer, you can can choose to play soccer anyways. But you can't choose to enjoy soccer if you don't.

Anyways, just some ideas for you to think on. (I'm on my first coffee, so I may not be getting this across well.)

Dalek Prime wrote: (I'm on my first coffee, so I may not be getting this across well.)

Me too, please be patient.

"factors A + B + C together contributed to...my...being in my gandma's house"

Sure, lots of events one has no say about conspire to move you in this or that direction, but you still have to make the choice to actually move.

You still have to weigh and assess and conclude.

You choose...even mired in circumstances you have no say in, you choose.

So: if you end up at your granny's that's on you.

And: all this hooey about 'free' is, well, hooey. Simplistic, this or that, thinkin' which has nuthin' to do with real people...language games, is what it is.

thedoc wrote:

Dalek Prime wrote: (I'm on my first coffee, so I may not be getting this across well.)

Me too, please be patient.

No. Now hurry up.

henry quirk wrote:And: all this hooey about 'free' is, well, hooey. Simplistic, this or that, thinkin' which has nuthin' to do with real people...language games, is what it is.

True and people will continue to do what they do, think the thoughts they will think, and act the way they act whether it is free will or determined. Nothing in the real world will change, but philosophers will discuss it and argue about it because they have nothing else to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw7AYJikDJE

"philosophers will discuss it and argue about it because they have nothing else to do"

Yep.