December 6, 2009
The Existence of Choice


When you wake up each morning and as you continue to function throughout the day, would you say you are constantly making choices? The majority of the population would declare that they indeed are making choices constantly throughout the day using a circular logic. “Doesn’t it feel like I am making choices,” or, “Aren’t I weighing both sides of my future action, hence making a choice,” they will say. However, no matter how revolting, after looking farther into this subject, one may find that freedom of choice is indeed impossible. Now, I will express this point as best I can.

The first part of this theory is key. From the exact point of the creation of your mental logic, which is a continuous controversy, a predisposition is set within your mind. For those who do not know, a predisposition in this theory is a basic schematic of the human brain. For example, if a baby is lifted three feet with the wind blowing three miles per hour and the temperature being eighty degrees Fahrenheit, after three seconds the baby will cry. This is because reaction = setting + time. The setting in this case would be the mid air discomfort and the time would be the three seconds given so the brain can calculate what has happened and retrieve signals. Three seconds are given for the purpose of simplicity (but, there is a constant stream of reactions throughout time). However, the predisposition of a human is extremely complicated because it must contain within it all possible settings and variables, which are seemingly infinite with every possible measurement within.

The second step is also very important to this theory. The predisposition within one constantly changes with each external event that occurs. For example, using positive punishment (adding something negative), each time a boy speaks. Eventually, the boy may decide not to speak at all. This is a rather large change to the predisposition. Now, each time something provokes the child into speaking, his mind recalls the zapping and reacts by urging him not to. However, one change may be seemingly very minor, but there are many other changes that come with it and each setting one enters, one reacts differently than he would normally (causing a chain reaction for others).

The third and final step is where most disagree. One cannot change his or her predisposition. This is because an internal event is simply a reaction to external events (time being one of them) and hence and extent of the original theory.

What does this mean or suggest? This suggests that it is impossible to make a choice of your own because in order to have reaction x you need something that is not in your control to occur (variable n + variable b = reactions a + reaction b)(variable n + variable b = setting a) (reaction a + reaction b = reaction c) (setting a = reaction c)(reaction c leads to reaction d). Considering there is no ability to choose, this also suggests that fault is impossible. Finally, this suggests that life is simply a continuous chain reaction. Yet, the primary action that created the chain reaction is unknown.

Once again, when you wake each morning and eat your breakfast, do you really choose the apple over the orange or are you simply following the events that have occurred within your near and distant past? This is a question that may never be answered. However, sometimes it is a beneficial idea to try.