Freedom Is an Illusion - 1504 Words

‘Freedom is an Illusion Ââ€" Discuss Freedom is a concept that is held in high regard and cherished by the majority of people. We use this freedom every day to make choices concerning our actions and reactions to situations that we find ourselves in, whether that be the choice of what to eat, or more serious choices such as whether to abort an unwanted baby. Actions and decisions can be prevented or changed by circumstances beyond the control of the person, but by this point it is generally the case that a decision or choice has already been made by the person concerning the course of action that they were going to take. Determinists would argue a different perspective. Determinism is the belief that free will does not exist and that choices†¦show more content†¦The 19th Century novelist Samuel Boyle wrote a satire depicting the chaos that would ensue in a determinist and socialist society where people are imprisoned for catching a cold. This could be criticised however as not being an entirely apt criticism, because a determinist would argue that while it is accurate in that people who catch a cold are just as accountable as a thief or fraudster, that is only because neither can be held accountable. There is a movement known as soft determinism which attempts to draw together the ideas of universal causation, everything having a cause, and the evidence presented above, concerning our thought processes before performing an action. Soft determinism would state that indeed there are certain situations that must arise beyond our control, because universal causation would make this so. However they believe that we still make our own choices in every situation, as often with every situation that seems to arise that is beyond our control presents us with a choice at least of right or wrong. It is possible, looking at the causation argument that we are in fact free. Our actions are caused by our reasoning ability, we reason out what the best course of action would be and then we act upon that. Looking at it in this way we see thatShow MoreRelatedThe Decision That Should Matter But Do Not1527 Words   |  7 Pagesget or what bank should be trusted with one’s entire life savings. The decisions of oneself are simply an illusion that one control one’s own life. According to Barry Schwartz, the Western, industrialized world faces a new â€Å"Official Dogma† which is â€Å"†¦ if we are interested in maximizing the welfare of our citizens, the way to do that is to maximize individual freedom†¦ the way to maximize freedom is to maximize choice† (Schwartz). He describes how the western philosophy has described how to make a betterRead MoreEssay on Hedda Gabler1077 Words   |  5 Pagesat the top of her town’s social hierarchy. Because of Hedda’s social status and undeniable beauty she has the ability to control and manipulate those around her – but to a certain extent. The time the play was set in, women did not have a lot of freedom to do anything outside of getting married, having children and attending to the house. Hedda did not fit this mould that was created for women of that time. She was not very maternal individual and reactive negatively whenever the subject of a possibleRead MoreHow Oppon ents to Gay Marriage Offer Illusory Arguments1242 Words   |  5 Pagestruly makes a strong case for how six different types of illusions (or beliefs) truly disserve the human population. The six common illusions that the book discusses are the illusion of memory, the illusion of confidence, the illusion of knowledge, the illusion of cause and the illusion of potential. Chabris and Simon argue that one can see these illusions at work in a range of human interactions and current events. Sometimes these illusions demonstrate the fallibility of the human mind; sometimesRead More Theme of False Freedom in The Known World Essay1081 Words   |  5 Pagescomes in many different disguises; it can be masked as power, as freedom - but these are merely illusions. People believe that they are truly free when they have control over others and are the ones in the powerful positions (positions of power). They strive for control and power in their lives hoping that it will offer them salvation and freedom and in return make life easier and give them an upper hand. However, freedom is unobtainable. The antebellum south is a perfectRead MoreThe Known World1092 Words   |  5 Pagesin many different disguises; it can be masked as power, as freedom - but these are merely illusions. People believe that they are truly free when they have control [p3] over others and are the ones in the powerful positions (positions of power). They strive for control and power in their lives hoping that it will offer them salvation and freedom and in return make life easier and give them an upper hand. However, freedom [p4] is unobtainable. The antebellum south isRead MoreHistory of America Mirrored in American Literature751 Words   |  3 Pagesable to achieve anything you wanted, meant that millions of immigrants moved to America. America claims to be a country which enables everyone to have equality and freedom however in the texts we can see it is rather a Capitalist and individualist country. The paradox of America can be seen through the fact that the Statue called freedom was built by slaves. The inequality can also be seen through the experience of individuals such as Abraham Lincoln who was assassinated for trying to abolish slaveryRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwells Animal Farm756 Words   |  4 Pagesof communism in his allegory Animal Farm. He tells the story of differences between presentation and actuality in his book. Orwell shows the importance of how people will not rebel if there is an illusion of freedom. In the book, the pigs, who were the leaders of the farm, gives an illusion of freedom by gradually changing the rules from all animals are equal to all animals are equal but some are more equal. None of the animals were able to notice the small changes that the pigs were doing toRead MoreThe Giver As A Dystopian Society759 Words   |  4 Pagespeople can suffer in dystopian society. In The Giver, Jonas’ community appears to be a utopia, but in reality it is a dystopia because everyone is under the illusion that there is freedom, dehumanization, and their strict regulations. The Giver is considered as a dystopian society because everyone is under the illusion that there is freedom. An example of this is when the text states, â€Å"youre ready for the pills, thats all. That’s the treatment for the stirrings.† They cant even have independentRead MoreWhat are Optical Illusions? Essay1082 Words   |  5 PagesOne wonders what an optical illusion is, â€Å"an optical illusion is a visually perceived image that differs from reality.† (Eifrig, 2014, n.p.). There are so many different types of optical illusions in which play with the brains of people. Optical illusions are normal because the majority of humans experience them. Humans’ vision tries its best to figure out what is happening to the picture, which then creates an image contradicting reality. Sometimes illusions can be entertaining because it foolsRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath And Huckleberry Finn Analysis819 Words   |  4 Pagesby John Steinbeck,   each book shows the American Dream in a different way. In The Grapes of Wrath, the American Dream is shown as in illusion. That being because America is going through the Great Depression and it’s very difficult to make a living or even have food on a plate. However, in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the American Dream is shown as both an illusion and a reality. This is because Jim and Huckleberry end up escaping their old lives to find one that is better and new, but along the