No, I am not saying what you are claiming.

Our choices are not free choices. They are determined and constrained choices. You can prove me wrong by teleporting, even though you don't have the genes, environments, nutrients and experiences necessary for teleportation.

But you just said that you did choose the flavor which you find tasty. — Harry Hindu

You have misunderstood what I said. No, I didn't choose to find the strawberry flavour tasty. I chose to buy the strawberry flavour because I found the strawberry flavour to be tasty. The reason I found the strawberry flavour tasty, instead of the chocolate flavour, is my unique mix of genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences.

What would a free choice look like - experiencing the option to go get ice cream when you see your child drowning in a pool and choosing that option? Are you saying that a free choice would be a random choice that comes to mind that is irrelevant to the current situation? — Harry Hindu

A free choice would be free from determinants and constraints. For example, if you behead me, I can't grow my head back. If you behead a planarian flatworm, he or she can grow his or her head back. If I had a free choice, I would have been able to grow my head back even though I lack the genes for growing my head back.

What is the self that is governed by the four factors? — Harry Hindu

The self is not just governed by the four categories of variables i.e. genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences. The self is constructed by them. If you alter them, you alter the self.

One of the four factors is experiences. Aren't my experiences my own and not someone else's? Am I not the decider of which experiences I have? Another was genes. Aren't we all genetically unique? — Harry Hindu

Your experiences are your own. Your sense of being in a body, seeing the world through your eyes, hearing the world through your ears, tasting the world through your tongue, smelling the world through your nose, touching the world through your skin, feeling sensory pleasure or pain - these are all experiences that contribute to the choices you make. You are not completely free to decide which experience you have. Could you experience being all-knowing and all-powerful at will? Could you teleport from one place to another at will? Could you go back in time and change the past at will? No, you couldn't. Could you buy an ice-cream if a shop near you sold ice-creams at a price you can afford? Yes, you could. You make choices but they are not free choices. They are determined and constrained choices. We are all genetically unique. Even identical twins are not 100% identical in terms of their genes.

Identical twins — also called monozygotic twins — originate from a single fertilised egg that splits into two embryos. This means they start with nearly identical DNA. However, they do not have completely identical genes in every cell for life. Here's why:

At Conception:
Yes, they have the same genetic code because they come from the same zygote.

After Conception:
Differences can emerge due to:

Mutations: Small changes in DNA can occur in one twin but not the other after the split.

Epigenetics: Environmental factors like diet, stress, or illness can switch genes on or off differently between twins, even though the DNA sequence remains the same.

Copy Number Variations: Sometimes, sections of DNA are duplicated or deleted in one twin but not the other.

Mosaicism: If a mutation occurs in a few cells early in development, one twin may carry a mixture of cells with different DNA.

Mitochondrial DNA:
Identical twins usually have the same mitochondrial DNA (inherited from the mother), but rare mutations can cause slight differences.

Identical twins start with identical genes, but small genetic and epigenetic differences can appear over time. These differences may explain why some twins develop different diseases or have slightly different traits.

Henry Ford built the Model T and said you can choose whatever color you want as long as it's black. Is that what you mean by choice that is not free? — Hanover

No, that's not what I mean. Let's say my friend and I go to a shop. There are two types of ice-cream on sale - strawberry and chocolate. I don't like the taste of chocolate flavoured ice-cream. I do like the taste of strawberry flavoured ice-cream. Therefore, I choose the strawberry flavoured ice-cream. My friend likes the taste of chocolate flavoured ice-cream. So, he chooses the chocolate flavoured ice-cream. Neither I, nor my friend, chose which flavour we find tasty. The fact that we find different flavours tasty is due to differences in our genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences. If I had never tasted chocolate or strawberry flavoured ice-cream before, I would buy one of each to see how they taste to me. As you can see, my friend and I made choices but they were not free choices. They were determined and constrained choices. We could not buy vanilla-flavoured ice-cream because the shop did not sell any, even though my friend and I both love vanilla-flavoured ice-cream.

It needs an arrow from behavior going back to the other inputs, since our behavior shapes our environment, nutrition, experiences, etc. — Count Timothy von Icarus

I agree. Thank you for your suggestion. I also agree that we can learn to enjoy doing what is right.

I made another image on the 4th of May 2025 which has arrows leading from our choices to our genes, environments, nutrients and experiences and also to the world and others. Please let me know what you think of this image:

Which genes, environments, nutrients, or experiences, or combination of the four, gives us the capability to have or make choices? You use the word, "choice", as something we possess, but your post seems to also say that we don't have a choice. Which is it? What is a choice? — Harry Hindu

You have a choice, but it is not a free choice. It is a determined and constrained choice. A choice is the experience of choosing a behaviour from a range of behaviours, e.g. buying a lottery ticket or refraining from buying a lottery ticket.

All active genes, all environments, all nutrients, and all experiences determine and constrain our choices. I couldn't have typed these words right here, right now if I didn't have my genes, all the environments I have lived in, all the nutrients I have consumed since I was conceived and all the experiences I have experienced since I was in the womb. Just as you couldn't have read these words right where and when you are reading these words if you didn't have your genes, all the environments you have lived in, all the nutrients you have consumed since you were conceived and all the experiences you have experienced since you were in the womb.

You have a choice, but it is not a free choice. It is a determined and constrained choice.

I think that immortality is wrong, death is of course horrible but it is also a part of life. Personally it is what I believe gives meaning to our lives. — Red Sky

I am sorry I don't understand - please explain how death gives meaning to our lives.

getting every person's support is damn near impossible. — Red Sky

I agree. I wish there was an easy way to unite everyone.

Thank you very much for telling me the amazing story of Dorothy Day. I think every kind word and action makes a positive difference.

You can't. That's the job for someone with global influence. Keep your goals within your capacity to complete them. Be proud of what you've done. If 10% of folks tried what you've done, the world would be a better place. — LuckyR

You are right. I should indeed keep my goals within my capacity to complete them. Thank you very much.

Unless, I guess, you are a billionaire like Bill Gates. He’s done incredible things with his money. — T Clark

No, I am not rich with money, but I am rich with love. Yes, he has saved and improved many lives.

It is enough to achieve your goals though, in fact its all you can do. It seems to me the hidden problem for you is the timetable. You cannot achieve such lofty goals in a single lifetime, your goals are not something you can enforce or convince on the massive scale of the whole of humanity. Yours goals will take time. A lot of time. Look at history and you see how things, very slowly, change. It happens by leading by example, spreading your ideas and leading your life with those goals in mind.
So when I say keep doing what you're doing I dont mean because you cannot achieve your goals but rather because that is the way, the only way, to achieve your goals.
Make the best contribution you can while you're here and let the ripple effect of your hard work shape the future. Thats the only way progress to your goals that has ever been made, you just have to have the long view. — DingoJones

I see your point. I am being too impatient. I want to see rapid changes, but that is impossible. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

Sounds like you're achieving your goals... at a scale appropriate for your level of influence. Kudos to you. Job well done. — LuckyR

Thank you - sadly, my capacity is limited. Although I have managed to save and improve some lives - the world is still full of suffering, injustice, and death. How do I unite everyone to achieve the objectives together?

If you're an American elector, supporting the Democratic Party would be a good start. The MAGA party seems intent on dismantling or opposing everything you're standing for. — Wayfarer

I don't live in the USA. I live in the UK. I don't agree with Donald Trump's policies.

Your list covers pretty much everything that might need doing. That's the main part of your problem. You've heard of hubris? add "Diminish my hubris" to the list. — BC

I don't have hubris. I am so sad about all the suffering, injustice, and death in the world. At least 99.9% of all the species to evolve so far on Earth are already extinct. The climate crisis has placed the remaining 0.1% at risk of extinction. Humans have killed hundreds of millions of humans across the world and trillions of other species in the last 300,000 years. I long to change the past, but I can't. I long to change the present, but people keep doing selfish things, e.g. murder, exploit, rape, torture, cheat, steal, bully, etc. Less than 1% of the 8.23 billion humans currently alive are vegan. There is so much poverty, inequality, ignorance and disease in the world. I have failed to achieve my objectives.

How can I unite everyone to achieve the 14 worldwide objectives?

Look after your own actions; try to be the kind of person you wish we all were. — BC

I am already kind to everyone. It's not enough that I am kind to everyone or else the objectives would have been achieved many years ago. Everyone needs to be kind to everyone. How do I get everyone to be kind to everyone?

Not by yourself. That much is clear. — Banno

I totally agree. How can I unite everyone towards achieving the 14 worldwide objectives?

As a fellow dreamer of a better tomorrow whose tried more than one thing I can tell you that I, at least, had to recognize my limit as an individual. — Moliere

You are right in that I have very limited abilities. If I could unite all humans with the goal of achieving the 14 worldwide objectives, then we could make it happen. How can I unite everyone?

keep doing what youre doing? — DingoJones

The problem is that living things are suffering and dying every second. Keeping doing what I am doing is not enough to achieve the goals.

To the extent the problems you identify are soluble at all, it would only be through political action. — T Clark

How would I achieve global political action?

You obviously can't save lives forever, do you just want a quantitative amount of lives saved? — Red Sky

Some organisms are biologically immortal, e.g. planarian flatworms, immortal jellyfish, hydra, etc. If we could genetically engineer all living things to be biologically immortal and place them in spaceships to visit other star systems, thus spreading life across the universe, lives could be saved forever.

What exactly do you mean by religious harmony? (One religion, or just coexistence and acceptance) — Red Sky

By religious harmony, I mean the peaceful coexistence of people with different religious and secular beliefs. Hundreds of millions of people have been murdered across the world over the millennia by both religious and secular people. It is still happening despite our scientific advances. I am so sad about all the suffering, injustice, and death.

I would say unless you're the billionaire batman, you will need to gain the support of many people. — Red Sky

I don't have much money. How would I get all the people to unite and work together to achieve the 14 worldwide objectives?

The important thing in choice is that you are the one making it, and not others. — Red Sky

Thank you for your kindness and for sharing your experience with me, and for your advice.

Getting a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc opinion would also qualify as getting more information before making a decision. — Harry Hindu

I didn't seek a second opinion. I wish I had. Sadly, I can't change the past.

That is an unanswerable question, and best not to waste time contemplating it as it would just make your depression worse. — Harry Hindu

I agree. Thank you for your wise advice.

It's not your fault. It's not your fault. It's not your fault. — Good Will Hunting

I watched this movie many years ago. Thank you very much for reminding me of it and also for your insight.

Think of trying for the best as Offense and avoiding the worst as Defense. — LuckyR

This is a very interesting idea. Thank you very much for this advice.

This means I am never "second guessing" myself because everything is done to a framework, applicable at all times. — AmadeusD

Thank you very much for sharing your system for making choices. I love it.

I wish you had had a better psychiatrist. — unenlightened

Thank you. CPTSD and Bipolar Disorder make a difficult combo to treat. I also wish I had better treatment than what I had. I have been on so many medications in the last 27 years and 3 months. I wish they had given me EMDR and Schema Therapy back in March 1998. I had EMDR in 2024 which helped. I am waiting to have Schema Therapy.

A book that might help, "Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly." — Leontiskos

Thank you very much for the book recommendation. I look forward to reading it.

What do you see as your mistake in this instance? What is the thing you wish you had done differently? — Leontiskos

I wish I had listened to my parents instead of listening to my psychiatrist. Sadly, I can't change the past.

by making choices that eliminate the worst outcome — LuckyR

Thank you very much for your advice.

You made the best possible decision given the information you had at that moment. — Harry Hindu

It's not just a matter of having access to information. It's also a matter of who to trust. I chose to trust a qualified and experienced psychiatrist over my parents because I thought that was the right thing to do. I can't even come off the 600 mg of Quetiapine XL I take per night because my brain has become dependent on this medication, and I can't function without it. I am depressed even though I take such a high dose.

Only if you were Caligula, Hitler or Stalin. — Harry Hindu

I meant whether my nonexistence would have been better for me, compared to the life I have lived so far, which has been mostly suffering. Also, my nonexistence would have prevented all of my negative and positive impacts on others and the world e.g. ecological footprint. I am a Vegan, Egalitarian, Sentientist.

I have come through life almost scar free and I have lead an ordinary life but an enjoyable one. — Malcolm Parry

I am glad that you have had an easy life. I had many traumatic experiences from age 4 onwards. I am not going to go into the details of them because it is hard for me, and also I don't want to distress you and others.

you are where you are and decisions going forward are the only ones that matter. — Malcolm Parry

I agree because I can't change the past. Thank you for sharing your experience and for your advice. I am exercising daily but it is hard. I have a healthy diet but my problem is that my medication causes weight gain. I am also trying to learn computer programming which I find hard because of my depression and because of my age. I am 47.

While freedom is a curse, it is also life's greatest blessing, and I say this with total sincerity. Llfe truly wouldn't be living without freedom.

Much more to be said, but what do you think of that so far? — hypericin

Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts. I am so sorry that you, too, have the burden of regretting taking psychiatric medications.

I don't feel free. Do you feel free?

Here are some things I have done, currently do or will do even though I don't want to do them:

1. Breathe
2. Eat
3. Drink
4. Sleep
5. Dream
7. Pee
8. Poo
9. Fart
10. Burp
11. Sneeze
12. Cough
13. Age
14. Get ill
15. Get injured
16. Sweat
17. Cry
18. Suffer
19. Snore
20. Think
21. Feel
22. Choose
23. Be conceived
24. Be born
25. Remember some events
26. Forget some events
27. Die

I really want to go back in time and prevent all suffering, injustice, and death and make all living things forever happy, but I lack the capacity to do this.

Seems to me that the key is other people. Keep reaching out. And keep in mind that while you don't know what will happen next, sometimes things get better.

You are welcome to PM me. — Banno

Thank you for your advice and your kindness.

I use heat therapy (e.g. electric blanket, heat patches, hot water bottle, etc.) to reduce the intensity of the pain, as pain-relieving medications for chronic nerve pain make my Bipolar Disorder worse.

More likely, you would be equally discontent but with a different set of issues. — Banno

I agree with you. Wouldn't it have been better if I had never existed at all?

In terms of suicide of why you should stay alive it breaks down to practicality and it’s something out of my remit to advise on personal choices and circumstances. — kindred

My goal is to save and improve as many lives as possible. Obviously, suicide doesn't save my life, but it does end my suffering, which is a kind of improvement. Also, my donated organs will save the lives of others. Don't the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one? Although my suicide would cause suffering to those who love me. Also, it would prevent any future good deeds by me, e.g. I have donated blood many times.

There are factors involved when making choices and these are often a matter of personal preference. — kindred

How would I know what personal preference I should have? It's not always clear if the outcome would be positive for me and others. For example, I am on the NHS Organ Donation Register. I have been on it since May 1997. If I were to kill myself, it would end my constant suffering (due to Bipolar Disorder, CPTSD and chronic pain) and save the lives of those who need organs to live. So, should I kill myself? I am certain that my parents would be very upset if I killed myself. That's one of the reasons I haven't yet killed myself.

Do you know why this happens? Are you haunted by previous errors? — Tom Storm

This happens because I am haunted by previous errors. If I had known how things would turn out, I would have chosen differently.

What would be an example of this? — Tom Storm

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder on the 5th of March 1998. My parents told me to ignore the psychiatrist and not take the prescribed medications. I didn't listen to my parents. I trusted my psychiatrist and took the prescribed medications. 27 years and 3 months later, I am still struggling with depression and all the side-effects of the prescribed medications. I have gone from 65 kg to 98 kg as my medication causes weight gain. My mental illness has ruined my physical health, education, career and relationships. I often wonder how my life would be if I had listened to my parents instead of my psychiatrist.

Is it things like having children, getting married, or deciding where to live? — Tom Storm

All of them and many more.

Is this one you are mulling over or a hypothetical? — Tom Storm

This is a hypothetical.

Thank you for your helpful reply. How would one assess whether to have an abortion or not? What if it is not legal where one lives? Should they go to another country where it is legal and have it there? Should they carry the foetus and give birth, then put the baby up for adoption? What is the right thing to do? How would one know?

I agree.

Thank you very much for your detailed response. I agree with you. "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." - Philip K. Dick.

Scientism is the belief that science is the most authoritative or even the only valid way to gain knowledge about reality. It often involves the idea that methods of the natural sciences should be applied to all areas of inquiry, including the humanities, ethics, and religion.

There are two main types:

Epistemological scientism – the claim that science is the only reliable source of knowledge.

Methodological scientism – the view that scientific methods are superior to other methods in answering all meaningful questions.

Critics argue that scientism is self-refuting (because the belief that science is the only path to truth cannot itself be proven scientifically), and that it dismisses valuable insights from philosophy, literature, art, and spiritual or moral reflection.