A Journey into the Philosophical School of Thought

The feeling of justice thus arises out of two errors, namely, because the punishments inflicted by authorities and educators appear as acts of retribution, and because people believe in the freedom of the will.

– Rée [1877]

Today, I read "Determinism and the Illusion of Moral Responsibility" by Paul Rée. It was definitely an interesting read that made me think more about life in a different way than I had before. Before, I believed unquestionably that humans had free will. Now, I'm not so sure. Everything a human being does has a cause. In fact, everything is a cause and an effect. For example, let's say I went to make myself dinner. Why did I make myself dinner? Because I was hungry. That hunger originated somewhere in my body, and it was a feeling I can't control. The feeling of hunger is also a cause and an effect. It was caused by the fact that I hadn't eaten in awhile, and my stomach was empty. The chain of cause-and-effect relationships just goes on and on, all the way before our existence, to the beginning of time. After I made myself dinner, I put my dishes in the dishwasher. Why did I do that? Out of a force of habit, maybe. Or maybe because my dishes were dirty. I wanted them to be clean.

I can go on and on like this, but the fact remains: every decision we make, every movement we make, and everything we do is not without cause. That is the law of causality. And that makes a strong case for lack of free will in this universe. It's definitely a foreign concept to me, but it makes sense. They say ignorance is bliss, and maybe there's a reason for it. Maybe it's because those who are ignorant can just sit back and enjoy life, without worrying why things happen or whether they have no control of themselves. I probably am writing this because something caused me to, and my life circumstances were all set up so I would be guided in this direction. So why am I even trying in life? Because maybe if I don't try, my circumstances will be different, and I will have different experiences that will lead me to a worse life, maybe one of poverty and disease. I want my life to be the best it can be.

That is all.