(January 16, 2012 at 12:44 pm)DoubtVsFaith Wrote: When then are things I want but do not want to want, I wish I had more freedom.
I'd say when you want things you do not want to want, you are experiencing conflicting wants. This is when the Schopenhauer quote is especially useful, to remind you that you don't choose your wants.
(January 16, 2012 at 12:44 pm)DoubtVsFaith Wrote: When people blame people as if they were more free than they actually are, I wish people wouldn't believe they had more freedom than they actually do.
When it comes to our attitudes toward those who commit acts of violence toward others I don't much focus on whether they could have done otherwise. Mostly I just want to make sure they aren't in any position where they have the choice to do it again. I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that in his shoes (given his life experiences and DNA) I wouldn't have done the same. Who knows? Regardless, so long as the many have the means to protect themselves from the rapacity of the few, we should do so.
