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Question about free choice

שו”תCategory: philosophyQuestion about free choice
asked 5 years ago

Hello Rabbi.
In the book The Science of Freedom, you visualize the circumstances that affect a person’s “power of decision” as a kind of topographical map. Some people will find abstaining from a bar of chocolate an uphill climb, in terms of the difficulty of reaching such a decision, and some people will find it a gentle downhill. Something like that.
You also described that in certain extreme cases, given certain physiological-mental circumstances, the ascension may be difficult or even impossible in practice. In such a case, it is said that the person acted not out of free choice.
My question is this: Suppose there is a person who has a certain “mountain” on the topographic map, something that is practically impossible for him to do. But he refrains from doing it for another reason. Did he act out of free choice?
That is: X has two options for action – Y and Z.
X will never be able to do Y given his mental state. However, X has no desire to do Y at all, without recognizing his inability. He chooses Z for his own reasons. Can X be said to choose Z freely?


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0 Answers
מיכי Staff answered 5 years ago
Reminds me a bit of this question: https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%99%D7%AA%D7%A8 My answer to you is similar: It’s a semantic question. It depends on how you define free choice and for what purpose. I suggest you define what (criminal liability, for example).

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