Question Details

Read the given passage and answer the six questions that follow.


Free will is the ability to decide and act free from any influence of past events or environment. It implies complete freedom to make any choice absolutely. We clearly don’t have free will. Our decisions and actions are never divorced from our past. We have a conditioned mind. Our memories, past impressions and experiences bias and shape our thoughts and actions in the present. It is our karmic imprint. Not just what we are born with, but also what we accumulate while living. We can consider it as the result of our genetic code, upbringing and environment.


It’s our backstory. The only way to experience free will is to get rid of all such conditioning; to neutralise our karmic imprint; to be independent of our psychological coding. That’s possible only if we can purify our mind by letting go of all our ego, attachments and fixed beliefs. Then we can reside in the truth of our being. The above is an exacting definition of free will. What we commonly mean by free will is that we have a choice in most situations like, who you choose to marry, what profession you pursue or how you react to someone’s aggression. Sounds reasonable. But here’s the catch. Our ability to make that choice too is significantly restricted, dictated by our predispositions.


This applies even to our ability to bring about change within ourselves. Despite a strong resolve to be calmer, kinder or less anxious, our ability to manifest that change depends, partly on our emotional and mental wiring. That’s why some people succeed in such efforts more than 16 the others. If you wish to expand the scope of your agency, explore ways to engage in sustained inner work, deepen your self-awareness, examine and reform your conditioned beliefs. But then, I wonder if your inclination to embark on that journey too depends on your current karmic coding.


Q) The author argues that humans don’t have “free will” because ______.

Options

A

our decisions are shaped by past events and environmental influences

B

we are born with pre-determined choices that we are forced to make.

C

we are always dictated by our mind to make irrational choices.

D

human beings are born slaves of social constructs and expectations.

Show Answer

Correct Answer :

Option A

our decisions are shaped by past events and environmental influences

Solution :

The correct option is: our decisions are shaped by past events and environmental influences.


Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Define the Concept of Free Will: According to the passage, "Free will is the ability to decide and act free from any influence of past events or environment." It represents the freedom to make choices completely independent of any prior coding or external factors.


2. Analyze the Author's Argument against Free Will: The author explicitly states, "We clearly don’t have free will. Our decisions and actions are never divorced from our past." This is because our minds are conditioned by memories, past impressions, experiences, genetic code, upbringing, and environment (which the author terms as our "karmic imprint" or "backstory").


3. Link to the Correct Option: Because our thoughts and actions are biased and shaped by these past impressions and environmental factors, we lack the absolute freedom required by the definition of free will. Therefore, the author argues that we do not have free will because our decisions are shaped by past events and environmental influences.

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