SabahTheLoner
Master of the Art of Couch Potato Cuddles
The term "illusion of choice" seems to get thrown around a lot. I'm unsure how accurate it is to announce something abstract but mentally tangible such as choice as a mere illusion of reality. By all accounts atoms may as well be optical illusions at this point.
I don't think choice is an illusion. I believe I have Will and my Will allows me to make a choice. And depending on my choice, I will receive something from my Will. (I capitalized it on purpose. It's a distinction between the individual's willfulness and the idea of will.)
Firstly, let me present you with a choice; vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream. You can choose one or the other.
"I choose strawberry!" You exclaim. Strawberry? Well, that was not in the original choice. You could choose strawberry ice cream, but we don't have strawberry or mint or cookie dough or even birthday cake. Just the vanilla and chocolate. The ice cream shop isn't infinite.
"Alright, how about both so I don't have to choose?" You're choosing to choose both, then. It's still a choice.
"Well, I might as well not have ice cream at all!" again, you exclaim. Okay, that's fine. But that's still a choice. You're choosing not to have ice cream, and you can choose to have ice cream. You can't choose anything in-between really; how can you have ice cream without having ice cream?
Choice is not an illusion because we live in a finite universe from which we source from. Resources are always finite, even if it takes a long time to deplete. If we lived in an infinite universe, then we wouldn't have choice because we could do everything. We also have Will which allows us to consciously select things. Basically that's all choice is; narrowed down selection. And because our universe is finite, selection is also finite. Although in your mind you can choose everything, you can't do everything. If you could, it'd be like a constant psychedelic dreamstate. Maybe weirder an that, even.
Why would choice be an illusion then?
I don't think choice is an illusion. I believe I have Will and my Will allows me to make a choice. And depending on my choice, I will receive something from my Will. (I capitalized it on purpose. It's a distinction between the individual's willfulness and the idea of will.)
Firstly, let me present you with a choice; vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream. You can choose one or the other.
"I choose strawberry!" You exclaim. Strawberry? Well, that was not in the original choice. You could choose strawberry ice cream, but we don't have strawberry or mint or cookie dough or even birthday cake. Just the vanilla and chocolate. The ice cream shop isn't infinite.
"Alright, how about both so I don't have to choose?" You're choosing to choose both, then. It's still a choice.
"Well, I might as well not have ice cream at all!" again, you exclaim. Okay, that's fine. But that's still a choice. You're choosing not to have ice cream, and you can choose to have ice cream. You can't choose anything in-between really; how can you have ice cream without having ice cream?
Choice is not an illusion because we live in a finite universe from which we source from. Resources are always finite, even if it takes a long time to deplete. If we lived in an infinite universe, then we wouldn't have choice because we could do everything. We also have Will which allows us to consciously select things. Basically that's all choice is; narrowed down selection. And because our universe is finite, selection is also finite. Although in your mind you can choose everything, you can't do everything. If you could, it'd be like a constant psychedelic dreamstate. Maybe weirder an that, even.
Why would choice be an illusion then?