Q&A: A Question About Free Choice
A Question About Free Choice
Question
Hello Rabbi.
I would like to raise before you an issue that troubles me, as someone whose words have enlightened me many times.
Regarding free choice: how can one understand the matter of choice, and the fact that a person acts according to his will without any coercive element?
After all, a person who grows up in a certain cultural environment will, for the most part, not depart in his outlook and understanding from the world to which he was exposed and in which he was educated. And if education contained a coercive and compelling element, is a person capable of breaking out of that framework? Doesn’t the fear of being different, and the desire to be similar, cause a person to continue along the path in which he was educated?
By our nature we are herd-like and conformist creatures. Most people will continue with what they were educated into. Even those who break boundaries, for better or for worse, it would seem that this too stems from a component of their personality.
If so, are we really free in our choice?
With respect and thanks,
Answer
In my book The Science of Freedom, I discuss this at length. In short, it is clear that our nature, and the education and society in which we live, do have an influence. But all of these only influence what we do; they do not determine what we do. A person can decide not to give in to those influences. That is the difference between determinism and libertarianism. For expansion and detail, see my aforementioned book.