To give you a more familiar example, let us imagine that a woman is late
for a business meeting and must quickly choose between two dresses. If
both are undesirable, she is compelled to select the dress that is the least
distasteful of the two; consequently, her choice in this comparison is the
preferable alternative. Obviously she has other options; she could leave
both dresses and wear something from home, continue to shop and call in
late, etc. This is a hypothetical situation for the purpose of showing that
once she decides to buy one of the dresses in her selection, she is compelled
to pick the one that gives every indication of being the best possible choice.
It is true that her purchase will be determined by many variables such as
price, quality, color, etc., but regardless of the factors that contribute to her
final decision she is compelled by her very nature to pick the dress that is
the most preferable after weighing the pros and cons. For example, if cost
is an important consideration, she may desire buying the less expensive
dress because it fits within her price range, and although she would be
happier with the more expensive dress, she moves in the direction of greater
satisfaction by picking the dress she likes the least.
If her will was free she
could just as easily pick dress B (the more expensive dress) over dress A
(the less expensive dress), but this would be impossible since, at that
moment, it would give her less satisfaction in comparison. This is where
people get confused. Moving toward greater satisfaction does not mean that
we are always satisfied. It just means that when comparing the options that
are available to us, we are choosing [what we believe to be] the best
alternative under our particular circumstances. After coming home and
trying on the dress, she may have a change of heart and decide that she
should have splurged on the more expensive dress. She may find greater
satisfaction in going back to the store to make an exchange or she may
decide to keep the dress even though she isn’t that happy with her choice.
Each moment offers a new set of options but always in the direction of
greater satisfaction. I will now put the conclusive proof that man’s will is
not free to a mathematical test.
Imagine that you were taken prisoner in war time for espionage and
condemned to death, but mercifully given a choice between two exits: A is
the painless hemlock of Socrates, while B is death by having your head held
under water. The letters A and B, representing small or large differences,
are compared. The comparison is absolutely necessary to know which is
preferable. The difference which is considered favorable, regardless of the
reason, is the compulsion of greater satisfaction desire is forced to take
which makes one of them an impossible choice in this comparison simply
because it gives less satisfaction under the circumstances. Consequently,
since B is an impossible choice, man is not free to choose A. Is it humanly
possible, providing no other conditions are introduced to affect your
decision, to prefer exit B if A is offered as an alternative?
“Yes, if this meant that those I loved would not be harmed in any way.â€
“Well, if this was your preference under these conditions, could you
prefer the other alternative?â€
“No I couldn’t, but this is ridiculous because you really haven’t given
me any choice.â€
“You most certainly do have a choice, and if your will is free, you
should be able to choose B just as well as A, or A just as well as B. In
other words, if B is considered the greater evil in this comparison of
alternatives, one is compelled completely beyond control to prefer A. It is
impossible for B to be selected in this comparison (although it could be
chosen to something still worse) as long as A is available as an alternative.
Consequently, since B is an impossible choice, you are not free to choose A
for your preference is a natural compulsion of the direction of life over
which you have absolutely no control.