What other kinds of things are a choice?

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13 Apr 2014, 8:52 am

I think we agree that people come into the world with certain tendencies, but they do get to choose to act upon some and not others. Maybe some things fall into the category of requirements, though.

Sadly, we can't create polls with check boxes instead of radio buttons, so just pick the one that seems like the most important requirement.

Moral Panic

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13 Apr 2014, 9:34 am

[Moved from Random Discussion to PPR on OP's request]

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cannotthinkoff
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13 Apr 2014, 11:18 am

where is none of this is a choice?

i think all of it is inherit to human behavior and probably has some evolutionary purpose. some people really can't help themselves

The_Walrus
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13 Apr 2014, 11:23 am

There is no such thing as free will!

jrjones9933
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13 Apr 2014, 11:25 am

cannotthinkoff wrote:

where is none of this is a choice?

i think all of it is inherit to human behavior and probably has some evolutionary purpose. some people really can't help themselves

I did not even think of that option, and now I want to forget that I ever did.

TallyMan
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13 Apr 2014, 11:25 am

Religion is a semi-choice. The vast majority of people born into a strongly religious environment tend to be raised in that religion and adopt it as the "one true religion" whether it be Christianity, Islam, Hinduism etc. Very few people seem able to make a choice not to follow the religion of their peers. Those who do break free from their religion by choice tend to be those who are well educated in the sciences, which tends to confer a degree of immunity to superstitious/religious beliefs. However, your average uneducated fundamentalist Christian or Muslim will likely remain unable to make the choice to leave their religion.

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13 Apr 2014, 11:34 am

jrjones9933 wrote:

cannotthinkoff wrote:

where is none of this is a choice? i think all of it is inherit to human behavior and probably has some evolutionary purpose. some people really can't help themselves

I did not even think of that option, and now I want to forget that I ever did.

*waves wand*
Option added!

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Kiriae
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13 Apr 2014, 11:57 am

I don't understand....
Can anybody tell me what is the whole topic about and why should I consider any of the option a requirement?

ZenDen
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13 Apr 2014, 12:09 pm

TallyMan wrote:

"your average uneducated fundamentalist Christian or Muslim will likely remain unable to make the choice to leave their religion."

But to be impartial, can we say "unmotivated" rather than "unable"? Because without proper motivation (stimulus) "unable" is never tested, science or no science. In other words happy successful fundamentalists may say: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

denny

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13 Apr 2014, 12:13 pm

ZenDen wrote:

TallyMan wrote:

Unmotivated yes. I think that is one of the ways religious meme's protect themselves, either by subtle dissuasion against questioning their beliefs or by blatantly forbidding certain knowledge (Some Muslim students at my university were explicitly forbidden by their "Imman ?" from learning about evolutionary biology and didn't attend those classes).

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jrjones9933
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13 Apr 2014, 12:23 pm

Kiriae wrote:

I don't understand....
Can anybody tell me what is the whole topic about and why should I consider any of the option a requirement?

I guess I can just say it right out in the open, if you insist. I intend it as an ironic commentary on the philosophy known as religious fundamentalism, which ignores all the "try to get along" stuff in favor of the "thou shalt not" stuff and the "death by stoning" stuff.

I consider it all optional, but I have always had a bit of a heretical streak, saying what I really think, trying to rely on logic rather than received doctrine, and such.

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13 Apr 2014, 12:30 pm

TallyMan wrote:

ZenDen wrote:

It's usually transliterated as Imam.

Unmotivated does have a more generous ring to it than unable, and you make a good point, denny, about how we can't observe it. I doubt that an Institutional Review Board would approve of a study to subject fundamentalists to science and observe their reactions. It would be judged to cause them too much stress, probably.

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13 Apr 2014, 12:34 pm

The_Walrus wrote:

There is no such thing as free will!

You would say that.

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neilson_wheels
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13 Apr 2014, 12:59 pm

All of them seem like choices to me, unfortunately some people are required to hold different opinions.

TallyMan
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13 Apr 2014, 1:32 pm

When you think about it for a moment, there is a whole spectrum between having free choice to do something and having little or no choice, even when there is an apparent choice available. If someone tosses a coin I can choose to guess heads or tails quite equally and without qualms. Technically speaking I have a choice to throw someone else under a train, but I will never choose to do that. So those are two extremes at each end of the spectrum of choice, then there are choices requiring slightly more thought - shall I wear a coat when I go out today. Should I send a birthday card to someone. Should I tell someone what I really think about them.

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neilson_wheels
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13 Apr 2014, 1:53 pm

Should I accept the conscription and fight in a war I don't believe in or be labelled a coward and possibly be imprisoned?

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