Choose Wisely

We have exhausted the subject of voluntary and involuntary and since we are interested in virtue, choice would be next. It is a part of our voluntary actions as we have described previously but things that are voluntary aren't always by our choice such as knee jerk reactions and things that are unpleasant. We do what is necessary, so voluntarily actions are not always by choice.

So what is this thing called choice? Could it be our cravings, our passions, desires or opinions? A weak willed person will always follow his cravings like an animal but a strong willed person will make choices against his cravings. We can’t say that appetites or cravings are choices because they have to do with pleasure and pain. Choice has the ability to ignore both and to do what is beneficial.

Maybe choice is a passion like anger. But we have said in the past that we can control them to some extent but passions themselves rise in us outside our choices. We can only choose to channel them properly.

Can it be that our desires or wishes are actions by choice? They seem to come the closest so far but something that is impossible isn't a choice. We might want our team to win, or to stay young forever but the things we see as ideal aren't choices but ideals. Choice concerns things that a person has control over and is achievable. We wish to be healthy and wish to be happy but until we take action and change what is under our power they remain only wishful thinking.

Opinions are used in a broad sense but in reality they can only be true or false. People try to have opinions toward eternal things and impossible things but they have to be either true or false, otherwise it is a baseless opinion. We cannot call opinions good or bad but choices are distinguished by good and bad.

Our character is determined by our actions and not our opinions. By simply asserting an opinion about a matter we are not making choices. A choice can only be right an opinion can be true.  Opinions can only be true or false they cannot be good or bad, right or wrong. Our choices produce actions that are right or wrong, good or bad and these things determine character.

Choices are voluntary actions concerned with an objective. Are all our choices based solely on deliberation? We know that they do take thought and they follow principles. A choice is the act of deciding for one thing over other things that are available. We will examine deliberation closer next time..