"Men believe themselves free, simply because they are conscious of their actions, and unconscious of the causes by which those actions are determined."
Today's Question
Was some choice you made today a fully free decision, or the result of habits and conditions already set in motion?
A stone thrown through the air, believing it chose to fly
Spinoza held that everything in the universe moves according to one necessary set of laws — human will included. Even in the moment we feel we are 'choosing freely,' he argued, unseen causes have already determined that choice.
In a letter, he compared this to a stone thrown into the air: if the stone were conscious, it would believe it was flying by its own will, unaware of the hand and force that launched it.