Have you heard it said ‘nothing comes free’, what about our will?
The Political Mind
‘Free will’ is arguably the ability to use and act upon one’s own judgment, free from external sources of influence upon us. However, is it possible to ever be free from external sources of influence, many of which make up the basis of our internal psyche and judgement? How can an individual make a decision without what they see around them influencing them, their ‘nurture’ so to speak? It is what society presents to someone that moulds their views and thus their judgment faculties. However, arguably it is how someone reacts to what society presents to them, how it affects them and their decision making that constitutes their still having free will. Although it is a continuing cycle, as how that person judges what they see is interwoven with past experiences, and how the information is presented by external sources affects and moulds their view. Therefore, ultimately, one never has free will. Indeed, one’s judgement may be influenced by the construction of their mind, their ‘nature’ to a certain extent, yet we know that it is also influenced by one’s external surroundings. To what extent this is the case is uncertain; it could be that 5% is our nature and 95% is our nurture or a figure completely different. I would say that it is mostly external sources at work to influence our judgement. People are easily influenced; one can look at fashion trends as a simple example. A person truly believes that they have made their own judgment that they want the shoes, yet it is no coincidence that so does everyone else. A person may be cornered into making a decision that they try to convince themselves is their own. For example, one may decide to install social media, thinking it is of their own volition but rather they have been pressured into creating an account so as not to be left out of the modern world. Although one could argue that a person has made the judgement on their own free will, just within the bounds of reality. Indeed, one may wish for a world without social media at all, for instance, yet believes that as that is not the case they would rather have an account. The individual has made that choice themselves, although external realities have still forced such a judgment. If one had a social circle that purged all social media platforms perhaps the judgement would not be the same. Indeed, when I argue that we do not have free will I do not mean to assert that we do not make decisions. However, when making such decisions the judgement faculties we use are not free from influence. It is impossible to separate judgement from context. It is a continuing circle; as much as we judge the context, the context creates judgement. Society is founded upon ideas, yet society makes the ideas. The two are infinitely bound together much as society and the individual are; individuals make up ‘the society’ yet society makes ‘the individual’. Ultimately, one’s mind is political in the sense that it is a product of society.
Being conscious of the origins of your thoughts
Understanding this lack of complete ‘free will’, free from influence; we must make certain to remember this truth, as to forget it would lead to potential blindness to when we are being influenced or more insidiously manipulated. This is how the politics of our judgment can become dangerous to society around us. There is the potential for half truths and twisted realities to circulate and become the prevailing idea that is acted upon. In some cases, these ill-constructed judgments can come to be known as undisputed facts. Actions are undertaken on the premise of ideas taken as read by all, simply because it was presented in a manner that influenced effectively. These thoughts have avoided questioning and can come to rule society without full examination. Indeed, society runs on the circulation of ideas; surely the ideas should be tested first. In order to do this, questions such as: where did this information come from? How is the information being presented? Can it come across a different way if the language and sentence structure were changed? Would my opinion change if I heard the information a different way? Am I reacting in this manner because the context has prompted an emotive response in me? How would I react if I heard alternative narratives? That is not to say that by asking and answering these questions one has free will and full control over their judgement, however, it gives further insight and control to the individual. It allows further information and avoids the making of decisions without full understanding. It avoids potential manipulation and one person or organisation attempting to take sole control over your judgement in order to provide themselves with power. Consider where the most powerful forces in history have occurred, whether for good or bad; the Civil Rights Movement in America, the Nazi takeover in Germany, the progression of women’s rights with the existences of organisations such as the Suffragettes, Communist revolutionary takeovers in countries such as Russia and China, and the circulation of Nationalist and Liberalist ideas in the early 19th century. Indeed, the circulation of ideas is everywhere, gathering momentum, more minor instances included; the concern that mobile phones could give one a brain tumour. The feature all have in common is their mass following. The creation of that following; the circulation of an idea or several ideas. The circulation of an idea relies on human judgment reaching a conclusion. Sometimes many will reach the same conclusion and a mass following is born with an idea that has been considered more critically. However, often when an idea is more insidious in its nature it thrives on a lack of evaluation in order to reach the masses. Hence, those espousing the idea(s) do so in a way to influence more aggressively and deliberately, to manipulate and blind the subject into submission.
Concluding Thoughts
It is impossible to have judgement free from external influence, and therefore, true free will. However, it is possible to be aware of this reality and hence to consider sources of influence and ensure their validity and intentions, thereby avoiding being overly-controlled by one source. To have beliefs and opinions is good, but to understand why you have them is not only better but vital.