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Do You Prefer Better To Free? Can We Still Choose?
Choice defines who we are, but are we still capable of choosing?
Choice is attractive. In our individual-based Western societies, choice is at the heart of almost every dream and opportunity. It is appealing to say we choose how we live our lives, that we choose our friends, our close circles, what we consume.
Choice is at the heart of capitalism.
It is hard to imagine a world without choice. Even those of us who are critical with the current system, with our current society, find it hard to imagine a world without choice, or even a world where choice isn’t at the heart of everything.
We can do a very simple and quick exercise: imagine your ideal world. Imagine it now, vividly; a world of peace and harmony, a world of educated people, a world where science reigns and ignorance is almost eradicated, a world that is fair. It sounds really good.
Now take choice away. We don’t get to choose what peace looks like, what type of harmony we have, what subjects education favours, what science gets to do and not. We don’t get to choose ignorance or what we actually want to learn. We don’t get to choose how justice and fairness is administered. Does it still sound good? It’s still the same world, but we don’t get to choose…