Can you control what you do?

Question

My friends say that they control everything that they do and that they are in control of everything. I happen to disagree and say "control is merely and illusion". I would happen to think that I am right and he happens to think he is right.

His reasoning: If I want to pick up this pillow I can. (he does) "see I just controlled what I did."

My reasoning: You can't control anything, but everything in this universe is purely based on odds. Hence quantum mechanics. That its just chances that he picked it up. The other chance is like his hand would miss the pillow.

Well what do you think? Can you control what you do?

Answer 1

h**l no I can't ALWAYS control what I do! Do you think I WANT to eat so many brownies and smoke so many ciagarettes? The answer is YES, but if I could always control myself I wouldn't do either because I don't want to be and obese lung cancer patient one day.

Answer 2

I think i will agree with you, its a complete 50-50 chance either we do something we plan to do or we cant.

all actions are connected, one leads to other, there is a lot that we do not control.

Answer 3

You are right...you are clearly an intellectual and see the big picture. Most people like to keep it simple.

Answer 4

I agree with your friend.  I control what I do.  I happened upon your question by chance but I answered it because I felt like it.  If I didn't want to answer I would have skipped over it.

Answer 5

Seems to me that you’re both right up to a point.

You can control your actions in the sense that you have the choice to do or not to do – that is, you have the power of decision-making. You consider a problem and think out various options. You then evaluate these and select whichever you feel may do the job. Finally, you implement the decision with action. Your ‘control’ works in an environment that has no intervening variables, as it did with your friend deciding to picking up the pillow and being able to complete the action successfully.

But what if the environment is no longer static but has the power to move as well. Intervening variables (other forces) will influence the outcome. These introduce the odds, the elements of chance you mentioned. Say, for example, your friend decides to pick up the pillow and goes for it, but at that instant there is an earthquake. Less drastically, it could be a game of who picks the pillow first. So there’s another player – you – who competes. Is he then in control of self and everything else? Not likely, he may be shocked by the earthquake and not start the pillow-picking action at all, or the pillow may disappear from where it was if you grab it first.

So I’d say you can control some things, but everything you can’t.

Answer 6

This is a tricky one, but there are a few ways of defending each side...

We CAN control what we WANT, which wanting is something we are doing emotionally, and with that wanting and yearning can our brains act on that and preform to it's potential. There is also the aspect of sleep walking... we are not fully conscious during these times, meaning it isn't exactly possible for us to want and be aware of it. This is merely a part of our mind working almost behind our backs to control our body, hence, we can control it without even the apparent thought of it.

But in a way, when you look at it from the face of actual reality, humans do everything on instinct, because we're merely something being physical in a physical world. The only reason we seem significant is because we have the developed minds to believe so. Point being, it is merely nature and fate that is controlling what we do, not exactly us acting as a higher power to control something as lessor as our body and the things around us.

Just my thoughts.

Answer 7

No you can't. You are incapable of doing anything. You were unable to post this question, which tells me that you are NOT CAPABLE of controlling what you do. Fine... I'll be nice. Yes, you can, but there are factors that influence the successful outcome of the situation, such as grabbing the pillow before your friend could grab it. Face it. It just boils down to good ol' common sense. The real question to ask yourself is, "What are the consequences of performing such actions?". Another example is posting this question. You controlled your OWN actions, but there was a chance that your internet connection could've failed, which is a form of consequences, but a different type of consequences. The consequences would be that you would have to hit the back button (or whatever you do) to get reconnected to the internet. There are literally thousands of possibilities in this one scenario. Heck, a sniper bullet could come through the window and kill you, but what's the chance in that? Regardless of all I have just mentioned, you can still control what YOU do. Have a nice day.

Answer 8

A better question would be: "If we can't control what we want, then do we really have control"?

"If I 'want' to pick up a pillow I can". The key word here is "want". He doesn't want to pick up a pillow, therefore can he? He could, but that would only be if he changed his mind an wanted to pick it up.