How Free Are We?

Free will is the idea that we are able to have some choice in how we act. Free will suggests that we are free to choose our behavior, in other words, we are self-determined. In a world in which we are connected and fed information 24/7 by social sites, television, news, books, and more, our will has become heavily influenced, sometimes downright controlled by companies, people, products, and popular opinion. So, how do we protect our will? How do we stay free? To do this, it is important to recognize when someone or something is working to change your will. Here are some signs to watch for.

Red Herrings: A red herring is a logical fallacy in which irrelevant information is presented alongside relevant information, distracting attention from that relevant information. I recently read the book Hooked: Food, Free Will, and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions. Processed food companies use tons of red herrings to distract us. One such tactic is that they know that if they highlight the protein count on the front of the package, you are something like 90% less likely to turn the package over to read the nutritional labeling. It doesn’t even matter how much protein there is, processed food companies know that we associate protein with health, and so we stop reading when they mention protein on the front of the package.

Medium Bias: Many of us grew up believing that the evening news, newspapers, and trade journals were not biased. Journalists and news mediums were held to a high standard when it came to reporting unbiased stories, or so we thought. In fact, most news stories, most articles, and most trade journals are biased. I wrote for The Huffington Post for many years, and from that experience, I know that there is no editorial scrutiny as to what their content writers were publishing. I would upload my content and in 48 hours it would be published, word for word. This has helped me understand that most of what we consider news is just someone’s opinion.

Argumentum ad Populum: Since most people believe it, it must be true. If we are not careful, our will can be changed because we believe stuff just because everyone else seems to believe it. Growing up, I remember when the McDonald’s in Lowell would change out their sign every once in a while, “100 million burgers served,” to “500 million burgers served,” which today is probably over a trillion burgers served. Even back then, McDonald’s knew people were influenced by popular opinion. I caught myself recently standing on this very shaky foundation of belief, as it pertains to drinking water. The short story is that I had a belief that tap water is safe. I believed that because everyone else seems to believe it. Interestingly, once I began digging into this theory, I drew a new conclusion which I believe is more sound. Now, I boil water that comes out of a tap if I plan on drinking it. (Side Note: If you are interested in learning about your tap water, check out the EWG Environmental Working Group tap water database HERE.)

Influencer Testimonial: Just like we should not assume that what the group believes is gospel, nor should we necessarily care what one influencer believes (if they even really believe it). Just because your favorite celebrity eats, drinks, or wears a particular product, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

Misleading Claims: Walk down the cereal aisle sometime and really read the packaging on the boxes. The packaging is designed to manipulate behavior to buy. For example, during the pandemic, the packaging on Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispies was updated with a big banner at the bottom of the package that says “Now Helps Support Your Child’s Immunity. 25% Daily Value of Antioxidants and Nutrients, Vitamins A, B, C, & E.” Scary!

These are just a few of the ways in which we must remain vigilant so that our will remains free and so that we make clear, unbiased, and healthy decisions in our lives. But don’t take my word for it. Get digging and unlock the truth.