19 ⚜ Video

[restingstitchface]

Hello. I have some questions.

[Jonathan Crane turns on the video, dressed in a fine suit, and smiles a little.]

Do we shape the world or does the world shape us? Is there a ghost in the machine or do we never think at all? And if we do not think, can we afford to permit people to be free?

[He leans back in the chair and gestures open-handedly.]

Difficult question, right?

Let's break it down: is free will an illusion? And are individual actions dependent on the consequences of those actions? I would appreciate the opportunity to hear your thoughts.

Comments

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[glitterateur]

[It's like one step forward, two steps back with his public image. She should be charging him.]

those are GREAT questions

but next time maybe start slower?? and ask people what their favorite ice cream flavor is

and THEN ask if free will is an illusion!!

[restingstitchface]

[He's the Eliza Doolittle to your Professor Henry Higgins, isn't he? Or is that the other way around?]

You're concerned about my approachability?

[Uh...]

...

What's your favorite ice cream flavour, Mabel?

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[catchacold]

It's not an illusion, but sometimes you get played.

[From someone who kind of died for free will.]

[restingstitchface]

[He slightly tilts his head.]

Indeed. The illusion of control, then?

[Did you feel a sense of control over an outcome that you could not influence, Captain?]

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[prostheticbody]

"Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will."

[It probably would have been too much to ask for him to be long gone by the time she returned, but she'd be lying if she said some small part of her didn't kind of enjoy these conversations.]

Still regaling the network with your philosophical musings, I see.

[restingstitchface]

[He quirks a brow.

How deeply he longs to engage in conversation, here. Yet he's tied into this fake persona.]

I'm sorry but I don't believe we've met?

text; anonymous

[nastygram]

that's a super easy question

people should be free.

[restingstitchface]

I wager most would agree with you.

Do you believe that people are living in illusion, then?

VIDEO.

[aojona]

[ These are... hm, well. Complicated questions for sure, even if that is the point. Though Pablo turns the camera on it's still about 45 seconds before he actually speaks, just staring in silent thought during that span of time. ]

Well, I think it can be both. If we all have journeys we're meant to make, it's our choice still whether or not we even look for those paths -- let alone if we follow them.

[restingstitchface]

[Oh good. Someone who's actually taking the time to think. He holds his breath and slowly releases it, indulging in his own silent thoughts. As if he's a teacher listening to a student that shows promise.]

Fascinating. But if we all have journeys we're meant to make, and our outcomes are set in stone, then can you explain how our freedom to choose, our paths and whether or not we even look for them, is relevant? The outcome is the same. Does it matter how we get there?

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[fuckinstoplights]

There's no ghost in me.

I would have noticed.

[restingstitchface]

Might I ask how, exactly?

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[helladoomed]

[Chloe has been eyeing this 'new and improved Crane' with wary thoughts, but...why not. She'll bite.]

We make our own fucked up choices, man. Nobody's controlling us.

Permavoice

[restingstitchface]

Really? Then how are you even here?

[Did you come of your own free will, child?]

[acclimatized]

Going for the BAFTA this year?

[ john saw the majority report and wasn't impressed. other people might be fooled by this act, but he isn't. ]

[restingstitchface]

I have no idea what you're speaking about, sir.

[What's a BAFTA???]

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[dumbfound]

[ These are incredibly thought provoking questions that require a lot of careful consideration. The answers should really provoke just as much thought as the questions themselves. ]

... No?

[ Nailed it. ]

[restingstitchface]

[That short display earns a raised brow. He really needs to find a better class of subject.]

If you would care to elaborate, Mr?

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[huntergames]

[ She hopes he doesn't recall her accent from the last time they spoke. Quite a few people haven't brought it up, so she's hoping to get lucky. ]

It is both, isn't it? Sort of like... a cycle, maybe.

[restingstitchface]

[The chance of Crane mentioning anything about her accent is very, very low - simply he doesn't remember it, because he's not the same now as then. But if he did recall it, and didn't mention it, well... what a lovely man this Dr Crane is, right? He gives a smile.]

That depends on your insight. Do you feel some achievement when you discover that you can affect and control your environment? Do you persist in a task when others might give up? Why, exactly, do you believe it's a cycle?

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[exiled_honor]

It's not. [Take it from someone who can see the future, and change it.]

Even if circumstances are beyond your control, it is your choice what to do in response.

[restingstitchface]

What a nice argument. But what if all the choices you might make lead only to a predetemined destination?

[Death or exile?]

voice;

[dnr]

[ The slow tilt of Frank's head at the sight of this post isn't visible on the audio-only feed, and neither is the pause and couple of blinks before he decides to turn it on to respond, but his tone gets an approximate picture across. ]

So are you always this full of shit, or is this some kind of special occasion?

permavoice;

[restingstitchface]

Oh, a little of both. Though only on Fridays.

[Trying to ignore the rudeness only makes him sound happier.]

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[heliophilic]

[M, not normally one to sit around pondering philosophical questions, is feeling particularly generous after seeing who exactly posted the message.]

Why not both? Shape and be shaped by the world, I mean.

[restingstitchface]

Well, our minds can make decisions before we've aware of them. Are we shaping the world in that case? Or does the world shape us? Both? Then why do we make decisions at all.

[Video]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ ...he actually almost missed these questions Crane would post to the network. He was wondering if the nice version of him would do it too. Adachi flashed a grin when he starts his reply, before pausing thoughtfully, actually considering the answer. ]

A bit of both, I think. A handful of people shape the world; set the standards, the expectations, to the point that they're enforcing their will so much that it becomes the expectation of the world, which in turn shapes others and strips them of their own will. It's a pretty vicious cycle; those that have the power to change force it on everyone else.

[restingstitchface]

I suppose you're speaking of mass delusion? That might not be what you're thinking, but it seems to be inferred. regardless.