It is a free world. This statement is commonly used or abused to create the impression that in the modern developed world, freedom of choice is absolute. The existence of that freedom is a fallacy because it only exists in theory but not in practice. The definition of freedom of choice includes the existence of two or more choices. Further to the availability of choices, freedom of choice requires that there be no external pressure or undue influence on the decision maker on which of the choices to take. In the modern ‘free world’ which developed nations such as the US belong to, the belief that freedom of choice exists is pronounced. However, the reality on the ground is that choices do not exist, and when they do, external factors are always at play to push the decision maker towards specific choices (Cave, 2016). It is the presumption that freedom of choice exists that has enabled the said freedom to be taken away in the modern world.
Freedom of choice would mean that human beings are allowed to be what nature designed them to be but modern humans only become what they are nurtured to be. The world is dominated by cultures, beliefs, schools of thoughts, and ideological affiliations. From a very young age, a child is taught what is right and what is wrong. Ethics, religions doctrines, and norms are indoctrinated into the child. Throughout the process of growing up, education and entry into civilized societies, continuous teachings on what ought to be and what ought not to be done are pummeled into the minds of people (Cave, 2016). In essence, whatever is taught in the name of civilized living does not per se amount to right and wrong. For example, modern civilized humanity is dominated by the concept of hygiene which is a fallacy in itself. It is impossible to create and destroy dirt and any process designed to destroy dirt only either spread it or hides it. For example, taking a shower involves removing dirt from the self and spreading it into several gallons of water. But since society demands that humanity pursue cleanliness, nature has to suffer the consequences. The example of hygiene is a motif that is repeated in different areas of life, including human relationships, modes of communication, dressing, walking and many others. Human beings in modern society believe they are making a choice when they undertake their routine activities but in essence, all the choices were already made through the process of nurturing carried out inter alia through formal and informal education which program the mind (Cave, 2016).
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Freedom of choice is primarily premised on the mind but the mind operates through an actual organ called the brain thus inferences on the brain also affect freedom of choice. Research has been able to demonstrate that when the brain which is a physical organ is affected in one of several ways, the effect also impacts the mind of the individual. For example, having a brain tumor has been seen to change the character of the individual, mainly for the worse (Cave, 2016). Ingestion of chemical substances, such as narcotics, alcohol or prescription drugs has also been seen to affect the mind by affecting the brain. Similarly, the environment within which an individual is has a major effect on how the mind operates. For example, special disorientation is a phenomenon in aviation that explains how the brain becomes confused when normal dimensions such as the ground and a horizon cannot be seen. What is happening around the body, affects the brain and by extension the mind (Cave, 2016). Based on this phenomenon, it is easy to see that most of the choices made by humans mainly depend on the overall health of the mind at that moment in time. When two choices are presented to an individual, the choice taken may not be based in what the individual wants but inter alia on the primary and secondary factors that affect the brain such as illness, fatigue, environment, chemical substance, and others. The individual will believe that the choice was made freely which is but a fallacy.
Even in the freest of the modern world, there is always a consistent element of undue influence that pushes individuals towards the making of certain decisions thus taking away option (Cave, 2016). Technology is currently one of the most potent forms of undue influence on the world. For example, over two billion people use the social network Facebook on a regular basis every month. Billions of photos, messages, and other content are exchanged on Facebook every day. A focus in using such technology takes away time from actual intimacy between humans who would rather ‘meet’ online. It is impossible to assume that over two billion people freely choose to be online consistently unless there is an element of addiction or passive coercion involved. Similarly, the modern world is dominated by laws, rules, regulations, codes of ethics, codes of honor, norms and above all, marketing that dominate the decision making process (Cave, 2016). For example, in a hot summer afternoon, it would be much more comfortable to stay in the nude but this is unfathomable for most since it would be against all manner of laws, norms, rules, and regulations. When people cannot even choose whether or not to wear clothes or to only wear what makes them comfortable, it becomes easy to detect that freedom of choice is a fallacy in itself.
Some philosophers have also argued that people have active freedom of choice but they create the illusion that they do not have a free choice so that they can escape consequences of the choices they make. Philosophers such as Smilansky have argued that choices have many adverse ramifications for the individuals who make them (Cave, 2016). Forming the argument that there is no freedom of choice is a convenient means of seeking to avoid the consequences of choices made. For example, a person who is always on Facebook at the expense of traditional relationships can always argue addiction as a defense. The argument of addiction is meant to create the impression that the wrongs that came with the preference for Facebook should be blamed on the social network and not the individual. The philosophical logic behind this argument is hard to countermand thus it is possible that the lack of freedom of choice is in itself as much of a fallacy and freedom of choice is.
From the totality of the above, it is clear that people normally value the belief that freedom of choices exists, more than they value the freedom of choice itself. As long as a modern developed world society is allowed to believe that freedom of choice exists, they will not actively clamor for the same. The situation on the ground, however, reflects that the fact that freedom of choice exists is merely a belief hence making freedom of choice a fallacy. In the modern world, nurturing, which begins at a very young age calibrates children on the kinds of decisions that they will make when they grow up. Marketing is actively present to manipulate people to make decisions. Similarly, there are laws, norms, rules, and regulations that will always interfere with the decisions making process. When the brain is sick, indisposed or interfered with by chemical imbalances or environmental factors, decision-making capabilities are diminished. It is, however, also possible that the argument that freedom of choice does not exist is just a means to avoid responsibility for the many bad choices that humans make. Nonetheless, freedom of choice remains a fallacy that is mainly occasioned by the presumption that freedom of choice actually exists.
References
Cave, S. (2016, June 10). There's no such thing as free will. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/theres-no-such-thing-as-free-will/480750/
