Freedom and choice
Articles, Films and practical Guides on freedom and choice, part of Psyche’s coverage of self-knowledge and personal growth.
How to deal with doubts about your therapist
It’s not wrong to wonder whether your therapist is helping – it could be a useful signal. Here’s what to do next
by Alice Rizzi
Emma navigates the vast Atlantic and her own mind in this captivating travelogue
Directed by Mattias Olsson
Jaywalking man
Even before I got hit, I’d come to find unexpected bliss in waiting at street corners
by Lawrence Everett Forbes
Plato’s challenge to the meaning of manliness still resonates
Even in ancient Greece, Plato questioned whether gender norms around masculinity were good for men’s individual freedom
by Yancy Hughes Dominick
What removing large chunks of brain taught me about selfhood
I’ve cut brains in half, excised tumours – even removed entire lobes. The illusion of the self and free will survives it all
by Theodore H Schwartz
For Lucy, surviving on a remote island was hard, but returning was harder
Directed by Jesper Wachtmeister
Relationships are important, but so is feeling free to end them
Comparing ‘relational mobility’ and people’s average happiness across different cultures reveals some intriguing patterns
by Thomas Talhelm & Liuqing Wei
In the outback, a town of two awaits visitors to their emergency airport
Directed by Yannick Jamey
Why Charlie Chaplin was an ‘angel of peace’ for Walter Benjamin
Though a tramp and a misfit, Chaplin’s world fit him like a glove. His life of contingency appealed to the émigré Benjamin
by Eli Friedlander
Censoring offensive language threatens our freedom to think
The modern obsession with textual purity stems from a misapplication of the philosophies of Wittgenstein and Derrida
by Paul Ham
Recognise free will is an illusion and reap the emotional benefits
The idea that all our choices are determined by past events may seem dispiriting – but it can be emotionally liberating
by Francis Merson
The three reasons why it’s good for you to believe in free will
Regardless of whether humans do or don’t have free will, psychological research shows it’s beneficial to act as if you do
by Kennon Sheldon
Why not driving is my own form of resistance
As romantic petrochemical-fuelled narratives slip into the past, I’ve found my own kind of freedom in a life without a car
by Vicky Grut
I’m childfree by choice. Should I feel guilty about ending my line?
My uterus is not my ancestors’ vessel for future progeny. What’s the impact of my choice on my family’s genetic lineage?
by Starre Vartan
Pierre is French, but loves his adopted home in Greenland. Can he stay?
Directed by Nicholas Jones