Intelligence

For as long as society has existed, we've understood the role of surrounding influences on our decision-making. With idioms like "It takes a village to raise a child" and "You are the product of your environment," we understand that to a great extent our upbringing, our parents, the society we grew up in, all of these influence our decision making process. If someone is born religious, it's not crazy to think that they'll be religious throughout their lives. Taking it a step further, things like genetics also play a huge role in our choices. Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution brought forward the idea that, if species do indeed evolve, then things like intelligence must be hereditary. Intelligence is a trait that helps us make better decisions. And while you can study hard to know more than the average person, for the most part, how intelligent you are is not entirely up to you. So, some people cannot make certain intelligent choices. Not because they don't want to, but because their genes are limited. In that instance, would you say the person has the freedom to make those intelligent choices? Because in reality, they do not. Their fates are predetermined by their genes. How can we all truly have the freedom to decide our fate when we're not dealt equal cards from the start? And it's not just the cards we're dealt, it's also the ability to play those cards. Some are simply born better bluffers than others. When you look at the concept of free will critically, the whole ideas seem to crumble pretty quickly.