I’d like to think that I chose to write this post willingly. I could have chosen otherwise. But maybe I’m wrong!

Our brains are constantly thinking, not only of thoughts of critical events but subtle ones we’re not aware of too.

Before I was introduced to determinism, my perception of “thoughts” was different than what I know now.

I used to think of my brain as the CEO that controls my thoughts like a little “me” driving my body and looking through the windshield (my eyes!). But that’s an illusion, however. There’s no CEO inside my head.

How reliable is your brain?

In a study, 2 groups of participants were asked to answer a questionnaire. Before answering the questionnaire, the 1st group was given a hand sanitizer, whereas the 2nd group wasn’t. The result was that the answers of the first group were significantly more conservative than those of the second group.

This is a good example of how unreliable our brains are. It shows how subtle external factors can alter the way we think. And this makes me wonder if our thoughts are mere neurological translations to complex layers of external factors.

What if our thoughts are entirely dictated by subtle factors we’re not aware of?

Do you still think you’re still the driver?

We can all agree that if you drop a ball from a rooftop, it falls; And if you put your hand on fire, you feel pain.

And if you lose a loved one, you’ll feel sad and have negative thoughts. You won’t be able to help but feel and think this way.

But would you choose to have these thoughts and emotions?

The reality is that you don’t choose. Thoughts simply show up due to external factors and previous perceptions. This means different events combined with previous experiences trigger different thoughts without your help.

Every new thought is the result of external factors (perceived through the 5 senses) and internal ones (previous thoughts and experiences).

This means that we can theoretically relate our most recent thought to a single event that happened at birth.

Let’s have a little thought experiment.

can you name a fruit? Any fruit you want.

This is the ultimate test that will make or break my argument, so choose wisely!

continue reading if you made your mind.

Before you picked a name, you probably had a few (maybe 3 or 4) fruits in mind and you “chose” one.

But you certainly didn’t consider every fruit you that you know, because I’m sure you could name more than 4.

So without considering every fruit that you know, how did you end up choosing one?

You didn’t choose. Pictures and names simply showed up based on previous experiences. That’s all.

God VS Determinism

Religious figures and philosophers have debated this issue for thousands of years. Most religions argue that we undoubtedly have free-will.

And makes sense, as to believe otherwise makes us either question God’s fairness, or question its existence. As for you to be judged for your actions, you have to be responsible for them.

By Sulaiman Swiatti

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