Freedom of Choice

I am currently reading Dostoevsky's novel "Notes From the Underground", which is a first person narrative by the Underground Man, who is largely a self-imposed exile from society. One of the major themes is the free will of the individual, and that the exercise of this will is not based on a certain logical formula that always leads us to act in ways that are rational. Despite the arrogance of modern science, including the social sciences of economics, psychology, and political science that claims to have figured out why humans behave as they do and proscribes the best ways for people to behave, our species is often one that defies logic. Furthermore, it is individual freedom that is at the core of our existence. It is the ability to utilize this freedom that is one of our most fundamentally human desires, to do what we want to do for our own reasons, even when we can't even identify what those reasons may be.

In our society today there is a great deal of paternalism, which is to say everybody seems to want to mind each others business. We are constantly being told what we should and shouldn't be doing, and along with these directives is the inherent judgment that if we don't conform to the norms then there is something wrong with us. We shouldn't smoke or drink too much, we shouldn't eat certain foods and should eat others. We should raise our children a certain way, support certain political candidates and policies, we should believe in some theories and reject others, we should drive certain types of cars, buy certain products, and avoid engaging in risky behaviors.

I am not claiming immunity from such paternalism, I have my opinions on matters and often fall prey to the temptation to suggest how others should live their lives and what they should believe in and reject. To an extent it is human nature to try to convince others of the validity of our own ideals, and admittedly there is a line between persuasion and paternalism and that line isn't always clear. Yet it is also human nature to reject being told what to do, at least it is part of my own nature. Quite simply, if I want to live my life according to how I choose to do so that is my business, and it is your business to live yours according to how you choose to do so.

While I may disagree your beliefs and even on occasion make fun of those I find particularly silly, I nonetheless respect the right of grown men and women to make those decisions. So if you want to support Sarah Palin, spend $500 on a designer handbag, drive a gas guzzling SUV, and eat meat at every meal that is your prerogative. Don't get me wrong, I wish you wouldn't do certain things that have a negative effect on the common good, but is it really my place to be the arbiter of what is right and wrong and to impose those judgments on you? I certainly wouldn't want you telling me what to do or how I should be living my life. It is for this reason that I generally reject formalized institutions, at least to the extent that practicality allows.

I do not belong to nor do I support a political party, I consider myself a progressive libertarian when it comes to politics and support policies that accord with my views regardless of where they come from, likewise I reject policies that are in discord with how I view the world. I do not adhere to a particular creed or belong to any church, I consider myself a Christian Pantheist, guided by the basic tenets of the Christian faith but not limited by it. I have no desire to pursue formal education beyond that which I attained 15 years ago by gaining my bachelor's degree, reading what some professor thinks I should read and writing what someone else assigns me to write about seems both limiting and mostly a misuse of my time. I am not prone to join any groups or clubs, I much prefer to do my own thing in the manner in which I choose to do it.

This is not to say that there aren't certain standards by which individuals and societies should be judged, or to argue for some form of complete moral relativism. There are clear examples of right and wrong, just as there are representations of good and evil, there are sound policies and faulty ones. It is reasonable to judge matters based on the results that they produce. What is not reasonable is to believe that everything, or even most things can be judged in anything approaching an objective manner, or that it is the business of one person to tell another how they should live their lives. Or at least that's how I see it, you of course may or may not agree, as is your right as a free thinking human being capable of exercising free will and rational, or irrational thought and action.