I Resist
The strongest knowledge
(that of the unfreedom of the human will)
is nonetheless the poorest in successes:
For it always has the strongest opponent,
human vanity.
Human, All Too Human by Nietzsche, trans. R. J. Hollingdale, Assorted Opinions and Maxims, aphorism 50
I entertain many opinions. The most durable opinion that possesses me lately has to do with the status of my freedom. By all evidence of which I am aware there appears to be no seam in the fabric of cause and effect nature to allow any exception of freedom. The indeterminacy of subatomic phenomena amounts to our inability to measure without interference, not an interstice for “freedom” at the foundations. What is left but the assumption that “all is inscribed” in what came before, without remainder… There’s no remainder but to enjoy the ride!
Still, there is nothing more defended than the insistent “I”, of the self that awakened at my birth, not remembered, but certainly ignited by the instant of exposure to the universe external to my organism. Another term for that insistence upon agency: vanity.
I know, I know, vanity has an unsavory reputation, a tinge of evil, of revolt. Human vanity is the strongest and most indefatigable insurrection to untrammeled determinism.
I revolt, therefore we are to come, said Albert Camus.
2 thoughts on “I Resist”
Determism Sucks!
I’ve thought about having a t-shirt made with that slogan. But indeed there is no getting around it and if we dwell on that part of existence, it will eventually drive us mad. So, YES, let’s enjoy the ride, even if we are living under the false assumption of free will, so be it.
Hmmmm…. “Vanity”.
This characteristic is inherent in all of us regardless of what someone might purport. We cannot help but exude a selfishness about who we are on this single path of brief existence. “No”, some might exclaim, “I know many people who are selfless, kind, and giving. People who put others first and make the world a better place.”
I agree that those people do exist (not enough for my taste), but those folks are doing what makes them happy through self-satisfaction. Being kind or generous is not something that is normally associated with the term vanity, but vanity is a form of self-satisfaction that is as deeply rooted in the behavioral characteristics of the Dalai Lama as it is in Donald Trump. The difference is that this vanity manifests itself in very different ways. One person might find self-satisfaction in those notions of kindness, caring, and giving whereas another might find it in cruelty and/or avarice.
We all strive to satisfy the wants and needs of our central self. And so, although the term vanity has come to be associated with negative behavior, it is universal and may be expressed by what we refer to as good or evil (or perhaps a bit of both) in each and every one of us.
I think “free will” is an illusion which we humans could not do without. To be language-enabled means that we must make distinctions, especially as we have few remaining instincts by which to remain alive. The knowledge of good and evil is pretty much a definition of homo sapiens. Approve or disapprove of our basic situation, that’s the way it is.