Buridan's Ass

BURIDANS ASS
By Ethel A. Arizala
Whoever takes the issue of free will lightly must have been acquainted with the
arguments regarding this matter presented by different theorists from different periods
since he was 12. I say 12 because its when an average kid undergoes the formaloperational stage, a phase when, according to Jean Piaget, he starts considering abstract
ideas, reasoning about hypothetical possibilities, and deducing new concepts. However,
I cant even identify one person who does this. From the Middle Ages, the time when
Jean Buridan held the concept of determinism which says every event has a cause, and
that, the cause being set, the event follows invariably Wait. No, it must be from the
first period of Christian literature in Latin, around 400, the time when Saint Augustine
introduced predestination in Confessions, up to our period when we become more
acquainted with neurology and cognitive psychology, the question about our ability to
determine our actions remains a question. Scientists, philosophers, theologians, etc.,
have attempted to explain behaviour mechanically or to refute the idea of free will but
none of these attempts could be patterned into law.
I wonder if man would be confident enough to declare that he can live a moral
and just life if nobody in our history tried to question the idea of free will, be it the
absolute free will, a belief that we can affect outcomes in the universe or the practical free
will, a belief that we have the chance to experience options and to experience making a
choice. Be it yes or no, it would be useless because, as presented in the first paragraph,
even before the grandparents of our grandparents were born, man had already been
presented with a number of concepts that negate the idea of free will.
Genetic determinism, one of the variations of determinism, seems to be easily
accepted by a high school student who just encountered Gregor Mendel. I used to
believe that with the pre-arranged set of my genes, I have no more freedom to choose
how I would look like, how I would think, and how I would behave in varied conditions.
Well, as some critics say, blaming the genes for certain behaviours is unreasonable. How
can it be unreasonable when a defective allele for the MAO (monoamine oxidase inhibitor)
gene is usually identified in men with violent and criminal behaviour? I dont say that
all men who have inherited this are all freaks. There are also studies which have
recognized many men who carried this allele and never committed a violent act. I am
just saying that the former proposition is not unreasonable.
A breakthrough in neuroscience had made the idea of free will even more absurd.
Benjamin Libets studies showed that decisions to act occur 0.3 seconds and that
moments of insight are detectable 8 seconds before we become conscious of them.
Even the Christian Bible (a holy book that is believed to contain eternal truth) in Titus
3:4-5 says, Ngunit nang mahayag ang kagandahang-loob at pag-ibig ang Diyos na ating
Tagapagligtas, tayoy iniligtas niya. Natamo natin ito hindi dahil sa ating mabubuting gawa, kundi
sa kanyang habag sa atin.
Normally, if a man is presented with these ideas, he would say, If my actions are
influenced by physical conditions, desires, Gods will, things that I cant control, what is the point of
living life anyway? Why should I waste my time thinking which way to go, the right path or the
other, when I know Ill still die no matter which path I choose? Man tend to adhere to fatalism,
a belief that our choices have causes but have no effects and that we are helpless.
To provoke a disbelief in free will is not my intention.
I say it is without significance to consider this dilemma. Determinism versus free
will? It is considered Buridans ass. As a modern compatibilist, I support the idea that
determinism can co-exist with free will. Well, I think its easier to put things this way.
Haha. We may not have control over what we should wish or want but we can still act
as we wish. Even if we are bound to live and die, we are still given opportunities to live
our life the way we want even amidst adversities. Even if we are bound to make
mistakes, we still have the chance to cover it up with more good deeds.
Isaac Bashevis Singer puts it straightforwardly, We have to believe in free will. We
have no choice.

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