Free will is often debated against fate. Its either or. In Christianity, the Calvinist insistence that salvation is predestined is often debated as free will versus a predetermined outcome.
What if the predestination was only a script or a software program that defines our inclinations, natural preferences and fears. And like any movie script or software code, can be rebooted upgraded and interact?
The key to change is information and understanding which form our habits. A good example is the News. It really did not exist until broadcast systems like radio, TV and periodicals were invented. Its easy to be lazy and believe everything you read hear and see. The message is embedded in information and our understanding is our accepting new input to our personal script/software.
Free will is our personal influence on the script/software. Not the outcome.
Propaganda is a skillfully crafted message that caters to a social status quo. It can be designed or just happen out of habit. In Hong Kong the news is often reported by saying the same thing in an headline, repeated several times until the audience believes the message as the standard. Whether by design or habit propaganda is broadcast.
This kind of message for the masses is used in sermons, the classroom, meetings... If unchecked can change group behavior. Many still want to do this in education. The ruling classes in Hong Kong believe you can re-educate the youth to avoid future protests.
It is no coincidence that academics whose discipline is to question and evaluate common understanding is seen as dangerous by authority. For the re-program the powerful want to control is challenged by reason and logic.
So there are influences to our personal script/program which we can choose to follow or not. Free will.
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