Was it free will? Or was it the illusion of free will?

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Determinist feel funny when someone says I have chosen it, this is my free will and freedom of choice... let us analyze it with a simple Event.

 Florentyna, a young lady, 23. She felt hungry, so she ordered pizza from a food delivery app. When the pizza arrived, she took photos and posted it on social media and ate it. One can say she made her decision on her own out of her free will. Before Florentyna takes a decision, we should see what made her take that decision. The brain hard wiring, the hormones, the genes, the culture and so on... this is where the theory of determinism comes to play. Determinism is the idea that our choices are not as free as we see, but rather the product of a complex web of prior causes. Let’s go back before Florentyna even opened the food delivery app.

 

First, her genes. Obviously, she didn’t choose her genes. It is inherited from her parents. Those genes which she inherits shape her eye color, height, intellectual ability and also her brain chemistry, taste preferences and metabolism. She may have a higher dopamine response to fatty or carb-heavy foods. Her hunger and satiety signals are governed by hormones like ghrelin and leptin—produced in her body without her permission.

If she has a different genetic predisposition, let’s say low serotonin levels, she might crave carbs more intensely to get a mood lift.

 

Second, the Culture. She grew up in a society where food is more than substances, but it is a social identity, status and self-expression. From a young age, she was exposed to certain values and norms: pizza is comfort food, social media is where we share what we consume—not just food, but lifestyle.

 

Third, external events. Even her phone plays a role. Food apps are designed with choice architecture that nudges users—bright colors, deals, trending items. The algorithm learns what she’s likely to order and shows her that first. Maybe she saw an ad for pizza (DEAL OF THE DAY) that morning without even registering it. Or she walked past someone who ate pizza a day before. Or maybe she was tired, overworked, and her cognitive resources (prefrontal cortex) were depleted, making it more likely to opt for something quick and familiar.

So, when someone says, “She chose it,” maybe that’s true on the surface. But beneath that surface lies a long chain of causes: biology, culture, environment, memory, habit, and influence.

Was it free will? Or was it the illusion of free will?

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