Are we all in some degree unaware of the false choices placed in front of us?

Question

From our childhood, we are asked questions like

What is our favorite color. What is our favorite movie genre. Do you believe or not believe in god.

When given a limited number of choices, we feel pressured to choose one to be able to define ourselves and appear assertive.

I personally think some questions in life do not and cannot be answered because 1, we do not have enough information and 2, when our choices are limited, our decision is not based on logic but by what feels right.

What is your opinion?

To debidel: then there would be no advantage to education.

Answer 1

Choices are illusory. You are actually just acting on experience you have had and the cause and effect of all other matter in the universe. It can be no other way. You can not think of something totally outside of your own experiences and make-up.

Answer 2

I have a strong belief in free will, probably because I see more differences in things then the average person. Not that I feel I am any brighter then anyone else. I never was one to follow the crowd. If given a list I would not hesitate to add choices to it. I see the same in my children, I believe it is a gift. Some people call it attention deficit disorder, when in truth we have more attention and see more then the average person.
To answer your question: Yes, I have been aware of many false choices presented not only to me, but to my children. When this happens I point out the problem to the educators who have given out the choices. Hopefully opening their minds to other possibilities. Just because it feels right to the majority does not necessarily make it so.

Answer 3

"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."
- Rush, but I'll be damned if i can name the song

Choice is real, even if the processes that guide us to making a choice are beyond our immediate control. And we always have, in the case of the 'false choice,' the choice not to decide... we just have to remember that it's there.

But yes, there are questions that can not be properly answered (although that will vary a lot by how lenient you are at defining what counts as a 'proper' answer.) There are also some where the answers are trivial.

Answer 4

In our culture, the overwhelming majority of questions do not require an answer based on logic.

The questions probe our feelings and values and are accompanied by sly modifiers to intrigue our feelings. The bad part is the artificial time pressure applied to get a snap answer out of us right away, an "honest" answer we give before we figure out what it is that is being manipulated.

I think this is typical of most of the questions we are asked. Posing these questions is itself a skill --called -- "selling."

Answer 5

You raise a good point. I'm not sure it's false choices so much as limited choices. In any case, all too many people are willing to be told what to think as opposed to thinking for themselves.

Answer 6

Generally I think there's really no answers to many questions. I think we do have information but just only what we think or commonly viewed as correct. I feel that whatever questions could be answer in whatever ways and be supported, so answers don't really mean anything. They say that the more you know the more you don't know.

Answer 7

I agree with you, on questions and choices,like when I'm fast food place looking at the menu the people behind the counter pressure me to order and I rarely get what I want.I like to read the menu and see if something is new. Than sometimes they make suggestions on the food.and it makes me feel like they will choose.for me.,and all I have to do is pay and I'm good to go.

Answer 8

You sure do think a lot. All questions can be answered and who cares if it's right or just feels right...it's right.

Answer 9

ask me no questions ill tell you no lies, there is a choice, choose not to choose it. silence is golden.