You may think the fate of the Gladiator lay in his skill. But consider his natural strength. Account for his experience in battle. Think about his opponent’s moral values. Most of all, contemplate the bloodlust of the Emperor and the judges. Does the standing warrior have any choice but to do the crowd’s bidding? Does the vanquished combatant under his heel have any chance but to suffer his inevitable fate?
Choice? Free will?
Sigmund Freud, the famous ground-breaking founder of psychoanalysis, did not believe in free will.
Christianity, indeed almost all religions, is based on the premise that we can choose between right and wrong.
B. F. Skinner, the famous ground-breaking founder of behavior analysis, also did not believe in free will.
But the philosopher Immanuel Kant argued that free will must exist; otherwise, there is no such thing as goodness.
The neuroscientist Ben Libet discovered that when he measured the brain activity of a person moving his arm, the measurements increased even before the person was aware of his decision. I’m not sure if that means we have free will (the brain made a choice) or not (a choice was made but without our intent to make it). Neither are other scientists.
It’s a good question, and one that makes for a good story. It’s the question explored in INESCAPABLE – a novel about a young man’s choices… or lack thereof. Can circumstances conspire to make any of us a murderer? Me? You? Can genetics create a boy with the inborn capacity to kill? Can life ingrain enough anger to lead a boy to murder? And if he did it, did he have a choice?
The conflict between choice and predestination is not limited to such grievous questions as murder. It applies to every aspect of our lives. For my part, I have my doubts that our choices are entirely free. Anyone that has followed my posts know that I believe that LGBTQ people are born not made; but I also believe that not every person born gay chooses to adopt a gay lifestyle, maybe because of social pressures. I believe that certain people are born athletes; some become professionals but not everyone chooses to dedicate themselves to the rigors required. I believe that some people are born with an innate capacity for intelligence; but we all know smart folks with no common sense. Does predisposition cement our future? Or can we choose to alter it?
The young man in our story – Buck – wrestles with the question with his life on the line just like those Roman fighters from so long ago. Only, Buck can’t remember what happened so how could he know if he had a choice or not.
As you read, make up your mind. That is, IF you have a choice. Either Buck has free will. Or his fate is…
INESCAPABLE.