Jeopardy - Freedom

The illusion of freedom. In our last show we learned that if we do not face and examine our ideas, they will rule us! Today's show is about freedom. Our freedom is an illusion if we are controlled by unconscious ideas that we do not recognize and clearly understand.

The Philosophy Of Freedom CHAPTER 1 CONSCIOUS HUMAN ACTION
ILLUSION
1. How does the scientific view of freedom differ from the religious view?
Science believes that everything proceeds in a predictable way, making free will impossible. Religion believes that free will is possible because it is not a part of the natural order, but rather a God given miracle.

2. What is the difference between an unconscious motive and a conscious motive?
The difference is that a conscious motive that I recognize and understand loses its power over me.

3. Are you free if you are conscious of your “action”, but unaware of the cause that determines it?
Because you are not aware of the cause of your action, you will believe you are free --but that's an illusion.

4. Are you free if you are conscious of your “desire” to act, but unaware of the cause that determines your desire?
Because you are not aware of the cause of your desire, you will believe you are free --but again that's an illusion.

5. Are you free if you determine your life and actions according to goals and deliberate decisions?
Not if your goals and decisions take emotional control over you.

KNOWLEDGE
1. What does it mean to know why you act?
You know why you act when you have knowledge of the idea that guides your action.

2. Can we be free if we follow the ideas of others?
Only if we have consciously made their ideas our own.

3. Who matters the most, the knower or the doer?
The one who matters the most is the knowing doer, the one who acts out of knowledge.

4. What distinguishes human beings from all other organic beings?
Rational thinking

5. Are we free when we act according to rational decisions?
Not if we are merely rationalizing unreasonable motives.

SCIENCE
1. Are we free if we think before we act?
Freedom originates in thinking, but to understand this, you have to know what free thinking really is.

2. What do the motives of free human action always contain?
The motives of free action are always shaped by ideas.

3. Is action driven by emotions such as love, compassion, and patriotism free?
Emotions do not create the ideas that determine free action, rather, they respond to them.

4. What does this mean: “thought is the father of feeling”.
Love depends on the ideas we form, so “thought is the father of feelings". For example: The more idealistic our thoughts of someone are, the greater our love for them.

5. What determines whether we perceive good or bad qualities in someone?
Love --the result of idealistic thoughts-- opens our eyes to good qualities.

FINAL QUESTION
Since a free act will always express an idea, how could you restate the question of freedom?
What is the origin of our ideas?