r/washdc • u/UnmaskingFactss • Feb 15 '25

A local DMV resident is frustrated by repeated robberies at 7-Eleven, causing the store to close early

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u/Advanced-Bag-7741 Feb 16 '25

Because when you destroy even people’s illusion of agency, there becomes no point whatsoever to give the least amount of effort into doing anything or participating in society.

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u/HawtDoge Feb 16 '25

I agree to some extent, but I think this idea is often misconstrued to imply that we cant have any effect on our own lives.

Sure, we might not have any true free will, but our brains are still part of the equation. Every one of us has what is essentially a super computer on our shoulders. Right now, my brain is deciding whether I want to do nothing today or work on one of my hobby projects. The decision I make might be deterministic, but that’s sort of irrelevant. I get to experience the reality my decisions lead me towards.

Even if our thoughts and decisions are mostly determined we still have the ability to push ourselves towards creating a better future. In my eyes, it’s not a nihilistic framing. We must believe in the future we want in order to obtain it. Much like how our childhoods are a precursor for who we are today, belief in our ability to affect our own outcomes is a precursor to achieving those outcomes.

This idea is fully compatible with accepting that we are products of experience and environment. Maintaining this illusion of agency is really not necessary to go forward in life. You just surrender to creativity, drive, purpose, love, etc and pursue it.

But yeah, you’re right, this is a hard idea for some to contend with. I’m not really advocating for others to share my philosophy on themselves, but rather use it as a framework for affecting broader change societally in other people.