The Dinner Dilemma
Here is a conversation that might occur between two people trying to decide on dinner while driving home from work:
Person 1: "Hey, I'm feeling pretty hungry. Do you want to grab some food at that new Italian restaurant down the street?"
Person 2: "I don't know, I'm trying to stick to our budget and our diet. Plus, we've already eaten out a lot this week."
Person 1: "But I really want some pasta. It won't hurt to splurge a little, will it?"
Person 2: "I understand, but we've already spent a lot on dining out this month. I think we should try to save some money and cook something healthy at home."
Person 1: "I guess you're right. What do you suggest we make at home?"
Person 2: "We could use the chicken breast, broccoli, and brown rice we have in the fridge to make a healthy stir-fry. It's budget-friendly and healthy."
Person 1: "Okay, I guess that's a good compromise. Let's make the stir-fry at home. But can we at least add some soy sauce to make it taste good?"
Person 2: "Sure, we can add some low-sodium soy sauce. That way, we can still stay on track with our diet."
Person 1: "That sounds like a good plan. Let's cook the stir-fry at home."
Given this example, it won’t surprise you that Person 1 and Person 2 drove home, cooked, and ate a healthy chicken stirfry.
The Twist!
Ah, but there's a twist! Person 1 and 2 are actually the same person! This example illustrates how we may make choices that seem to come out of nowhere to those who aren't privy to our private thoughts and events. We all have internal conversations with ourselves, and these are shaped by past experiences that form our expectations. As a result, our behavior can be attributed to these past events, making our choices somewhat predictable. Perhaps a better way to say this is that we are free to make choices, but the choices we make are based on our learning history.
Once we know more about the individual’s history (i.e., the self-talk that occurred above, such as they are attempting to save money, they are trying to eat more healthy, they have chicken, broccoli, and brown rice at home), it reads like they are simply practicing their Free Will to eat at home rather than spend money and eat something calorically dense at a restaurant. You might even say they have self-control, discipline, or a number of other intangibles that allow them to make the ‘healthy’ decision to eat at home. But this decision is, to a certain extent, predictable based on what we know about their history. If we were privy to the conversation they had ‘in their head,’ it might seem much more predictable as to what they would choose to eat for dinner. That is, they’re trying to save money and eat healthier food.
Potential Problems with Free Will
So how much of this is Free Will when we’re really a product of our environment and learning history? If you’ve read our previous 3 essays in this Free Will series, you won’t be surprised to learn that we don’t feel the need to disguise our behavior and choices using words like Free Will. However, our reason for vehemently opposing such whimsical thinking is it paints a pretty damning picture of individuals who are struggling and seem to make ‘poor’ choices. You probably hear such horrific examples like these:
They were crazy, what else do you expect them to do?
They’re probably homeless because they’re a drug addict.
What a bad parent, they keep yelling at their kids.
Maybe if they had worked harder they wouldn’t be in the situation they’re in now.
And his hunger burns
So he starts to roam the streets at night
And he learns how to steal
And he learns how to fight
Mac Davis (1942 - 2020)
All of these shortsighted and judgemental statements contribute to my distaste for the phrase Free Will; it leaves no room to discuss the lack of opportunity or the contingencies in the environment that contribute to the choices we make. It is looking at a very complex situation from a low vantage point, and saying “Yeah, I know what’s going on here.”
You don’t.
The concept of Free Will suggests that anyone anywhere can do anything they’d like if they just worked hard enough…just look at Jeff Bezos who started Amazon out of his garage! (and a hefty loan from his parents). Of course, there is nothing wrong with how Bezos made his money. But do not delude yourself into thinking it was sheer hard work. It was hard work in conjunction with an environment that arranged contingencies and opportunities to reinforce his hard work. You might have had opportunities you were or were not aware of that contribute to your success. But one thing it was not, was a choice you made independent of your environment.
The Push Back
A common rationale that individuals might push back against the concept of determinism and for Free Will is that there is a misconception that this would mean a) life is preordained (or determined) and no matter what you do, it doesn’t matter and b) lacking Free Will means people cannot be held responsible for their actions. Both of these are false. In his 2012 paper Moral Responsibility without Free Will, Slote suggests that our choices are a product of our character and experiences, rather than an independent, spontaneous decision. This does not mean that we are not responsible for our actions, but rather that we need to consider the larger context in which those actions were made. By acknowledging the contingencies and opportunities that shape our behavior, we can better understand why people make the choices they do and work to create a more supportive environment that fosters positive behavior.
I often remember the first lines of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.’” We will never exactly know the learning histories that have shaped (or are currently shaping) the behavior of our neighbors down the street or across the country. There is a reason for their behavior, and it is a combination of biological and environmental variables. We are not good or bad, we just are.
We’d like to leave you with a Ted Talk by Dr. Pat Friman reminding us to practice this compassion and avoid being a ‘person blamer.’
Be kind and we’ll see you next week.