December 16, 2016

What Choice Do We Have?

Is there such a thing as free choice?

Wilhelm von Gloeden (1856-1931), "Girl from Taormina".

Wilhelm von Gloeden, 1890s. *Wikimedia*

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Ted Chiang, the author of the short story that inspired the sci-fi movie “Arrival,” has also written one of my favorite tales about free will (or our lack thereof). It’s titled “What’s Expected of Us” and it features a deceptively simple device called a Predictor: a button coupled to a green LED. The LED lights up right before you press the button, and it’s never wrong. If you do not press the button in a year, the LED will stay off just as long. But if you suddenly go for it, BAM, you’ll see the green light a fraction of a second before your fingers ever touch the maddening thing. Nobody has ever been able to fool the Predictor. Humankind concludes, with stark certainty, that free will does not exist. Many people despair and are driven to inaction: they become de facto vegetables, unable or unwilling to initiate any behavior, no matter how trivial.

With no choice, the characters in Chiang’s story seem to believe, there is no point. But what choice do we really have?

Chiang’s dystopian scenario may be closer to reality than some of us would like to believe, at least in terms of our experience of free will. Indeed, both neuroscientists and stage magicians have compelling evidence that our choices tend to be far less free that we think. Our January/February Illusions column, just out, explores the topic of illusory choice, through examples from magic forcing and research by Petter Johansson’s and Lars Hall’s “choice blindness” lab.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

To learn more, check out also Petter Johansson’s TEDx presentation on choice blindness:

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American