“Are we in control of our lives ?”
A simple question posed by my apprentice this afternoon – one directly related to the 'determinism/free will' question that we explore in philosophy and touch upon in the IP. Non-philosophers often discuss this sort of conundrum for the fun of it, often choosing (lol) to favour free will over the idea of determinism. It is also quite flattering to feel that one is truly the creator of one's own reality, neither subject to a manifest nor an ambiguous destiny.
Yet, how can we really make choices – especially wise ones – that are not determined by some selected set of criteria ? And of those criteria how do we choose which to prioritise lest it not be by experience ?
Experience – that which has come before – is by its very nature determined, for irrespective of the measure of how much of the memory of an experience (or series of experiences) is true, tends to determine the judgement value placed on the variables (hence undetermined) by which we rationally make our choices.
Then again, the memories of our experiences are very, very rarely complete. We tend to remember some aspects of circumstances which we focus on, but forget the rest. And that focus of attention (what we've “attended” to) is perhaps not quite as rational as we'd like to believe our judgement to be.
There is the non-rational that intervenes ; judgements based on feelings that are not necessarily aroused in or by present circumstances but the memory of how similar (or merely recognised as similar) events in the emotional landscape. Feelings are non-rational, yet it is feeling which precedes Reason in all considerations – even the consideration of choosing “objectivity” over “subjectivity”. 'Objects' require 'subjects' to regard them, to try – usually unsuccessfully – to keep the regard, the attention, on them. And then the value judgements made about the 'object' are non-rational (not to mean that they are ir-rational, or contrary to 'proof', they just cannot be based on 'proof').
This is where the dichotomy between free will and determinism gets a bit fun to juggle : first we subjectively choose to be objective, then make judgements about the object (even when that 'object' is ourselves) based on pre-determined, conditioned perhaps, non-rational criteria. Thus, we're still left a bit perplexed : are we in control ? Do we choose or are our choices determined ?
Maybe the muddle isn't so murky. The coincidencia oppositorum, very much the same as yang/yin, crest/trough, high/low, long/short, heavy/light and so forth … could very well be the case with this too. Free will/determination may be mutually arising, mutually defining, mutually essential polar conditions for us to be able to do anything at all.
Epictetus pointed out that there are things that are under our control and things which are not. A certain measure of clarity and discipline are necessary to bring about the Wisdom to recognise the difference. When we find ourselves coming into conflict, making particularly negative value judgement or armouring up for a fight, then we may very well be trying to take or hold onto a control that we do not have.
As it were, I haven't really answered the question here, but then, the truth be told – I cannot. It is a question that we've been exploring for millennia and probably shall for millennia to come. It is merely a musing that perhaps why we cannot reason out which one is “correct” is because they are both elements of the other. Eliminate or disqualify one and we find we've cancelled out both. It is determinately worth choosing to contemplate … ;)
~ Alexandre Orion
