Is it acceptable to sacrifice free will for happiness?

Answer 1

No. How can you be happy if you're not free? Take those in prison for example, they have all of their primary needs taken care of, but are they happy? No. They have forfeited their freedom by breaking the law. They file appeals, work on parole, because they want to get their freedom back.

Answer 2

If you were to sacrifice your free will, you could never obtain happiness. So, the answer to your question is no.

Without free will, you do not have the ability to make choices. You will continually do as you are told, and will never be able to do what you want to do. You will never be able to find happiness because you will be too busy making everyone else happy.

Besides, does not "original sin" destroy free will anyhow?

Also, I would like to add a comment to utarch's statement. It is impossible to sacrifice something that you do not have. The meaning of sacrifice is to give something up that means a lot to you. If you have a pair of pants that you hate, and you give them away, it is not a sacrifice. On the other hand, if someone asks you for your favorite pair of pants, and you give them away, it is a sacrifice. Therefore, if you do not have free will, you cannot give it up, or sacrifice it. But, all people have free will, unless of course they believe in original sin, then they cannot, because original sin destroys free will.

Answer 3

It is impossible to sacrifice "free will"... One either has free will or doesn't! That is another question. However, starting from the assumption of free will existing;
If you choose not to make a choice, you just made one! It is to any level of understanding an act of free will!
Example: there is no such thing as being a slave by choice! You can choose not to run away due to fear, but you may never choose to be a slave! This same logic applies to free will!
By definition your question isn't valid.
Be specific to your needs or you won't get a proper answer!
I feel this has some measure of relationship commitment issue to it!

Answer 4

I would say that depends on who's free will you're sacrificing.

If you're sacrificing your own, if that would make you happy, then that's your choice. Although free will, once sacrificed is far more difficult to regain, should you ever change your mind.

However, to sacrifice another's free will for your own happiness is something approaching a crime.

Answer 5

That doesn't make sense. If you give up your freewill I don't think you could be happy. Luckily you can't possibly give up your freewill. Even if you choose to be a slave to someone else & live by their rules, you still made the choice to do so, and therefore are technically using your freewill. As long as you're happy you can tell yourself whatever you like! Sometimes people don't want to admit or accept that they are in control of their own destiny because that makes them responsible for their lives and there's no one to blame but themselves...

Answer 6

You must know that "free will" is an illusion, created by the appearance of choice. Given that there really is no free will, it makes complete sense to "sacrifice" it for happiness.

Answer 7

Of course it is. I have a daily planner, but on occasion, our daughter calls me up in need of some kind of help and I cancel my plans [free will] to help her out and when I do, I get the satisfaction of making my daughter happy.

Answer 8

We do it all the time - it is the same as making the "right choice" instead of the one that is more desirable at the time. A lot of times, doing what is right makes us a lot happier than instant gratification.

Answer 9

It really is not possible, if you choose happiness over what you believe is your right to choose, you are still exercising free will.

Answer 10

Acceptable? Acceptable to who? Who gets to define what is acceptable and what isn't?